Final Fantasy Files
by Quatermass
Summary: Welcome to the Final Fantasy Files, an archive of abandoned "Final Fantasy" fics by me, along with new fics to come...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

Having had some small success with _The Cauldron_ , a collection of Harry Potter crossovers in either initial chapters, or else stories I've abandoned, and other such repositories for the Nasuverse and _Naruto_ , I thought I'd do a general crossover or fics compilation for the _Final Fantasy_ games.

These stories are basically a variety of both pure and crossover stories. It will also become a repository of stories I have had to abandon and archive.

One thing I must emphasise here is that I will not be putting any of these stories up for adoption. I am saying this right here, right now, so that I don't get any reviews or PMs asking for that. Part of this is that, archived abandoned fics aside, I have first refusal on turning these into full stories. Please do not ask to adopt these, as refusal will offend. I will get annoyed if people do not read this notice, or else ignore it. I will reiterate it for emphasis: **NONE OF THESE STORIES ARE UP FOR ADOPTION. DO NOT ASK ME. IF I BITE YOUR HEAD OFF FOR ASKING, IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT**.

Also, if you want to review a particular story, please point this out in your review. In other words, name the story. This goes especial if you want to see a non-abandoned story get published: I want to know which ones tickle your fancy.

Now that that's out of the way, time for my disclaimers. Firstly, because the ratings of these sample chapters are variable, this one is rated M to be safe. Sexual references, violence, and crude language abound, along with possible disturbing themes.

Secondly, there will be annotations, as is usual for my works. Do not gripe to me about them.

Thirdly, there may be spoilers for various franchises. You have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. _Final Fantasy_ and the various franchises crossed over with are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Chaos will take you apart...


	2. La Vita Nuova Chapter 1

**Sadly, the first addition to this archive is a story I had to abandon. _La Vita Nuova_ was my attempt at a Peggy Sue story where Ultimecia was reincarnated as Rinoa. I thought Ultimecia, when you read between the lines to get her life story, was actually a tragic figure. Sadly, my motivation to write this story has petered out, so I am, albeit reluctantly, archiving it. Sorry.**

* * *

 _ **LA VITA NUOVA**_

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 **A SECOND CHANCE**

Ultimecia had never had the luxury of a proper childhood. SeeD's persecution murdered her childhood as effectively as they wished to murder her. They had embarked on their pogroms with little heed to what pain they caused others.

Which was why Ultimecia was embarking on the beginnings of an audacious plan. To compress time, bring the power of all Sorceresses in history into herself, along with all of time and space, and rule as a Goddess over all creation, denying existence to all who would do her harm. Which, to her mind, meant all of humanity in general, and SeeD in particular. She didn't care whether she was Goddess over an empty and small universe, as long as she didn't have to feel pain anymore. As long as she had the power to decide her own fate.

As part of her plan, she had obtained a Junction Machine Ellone device, a device that could send her consciousness back in time. Amongst other things, she needed to find the very girl that the machine was named for, the girl who possessed the same powers, who would be key to her plan.

Ultimecia never considered the fact that her plan, borne out of hurt and desperation that twisted her heart and soul into the most extreme misanthropy, would in fact perpetuate a cycle that would bring the very persecution she attempted to halt into existence. She would have dismissed the possibility out of hand: it was not she who was the author of her own persecution, but the SeeDs.

In a perverse way, though she would never know it, she was right. Memories and well-meant warnings about Ultimecia twisted and distorted, and along with it, the mission and ethos of SeeD. The well-intentioned dream of Cid and Edea Kramer, embodied by Squall Leonhart and his friends, was twisted into fanatical hatred. The Kramers, Leonhart, and his friends were all but deified, and Sorceresses, save for Edea and Rinoa, were demonised. The creed of SeeD became like a religion, and not of a kind and moral sort, but of fanaticism and blinkeredness and hatred, determined to stop Ultimecia from emerging by any means necessary. It took centuries to happen, but it still did.

Once, Ultimecia loathed her powers. Now, she embraced them. And why shouldn't she? Power was all she had left. Not love, not friendship, and not acceptance. All of those had been dangled in front of her, and torn ruthlessly away.

Ultimecia took the Junction Machine Ellone into her art gallery. It was a risk, given that SeeDs tried daily to infiltrate her castle and murder her. But she wanted to be surrounded by her beloved artwork, and trusted to her monstrous minion Trauma to protect her if she was attacked.

Sadly, it was a mistake. As she used the machine to project her consciousness centuries into the past, looking for potential candidates to control, SeeD mercenaries broke in. Trauma fought valiantly, but was unable to save his mistress when one SeeD managed to shoot her, while her consciousness was still in the past.

As Ultimecia slumped, blood drooling from her mouth, her chest a crimson ruin that matched her habitual crimson robe, cries of elation erupted from the SeeDs, and a cry of woe erupted from Trauma. Sorceress Ultimecia was dead! The world, past and present, was safe!

That may have been true, save for the fact that killing someone while their consciousness was junctioned to someone in the past had unforeseen consequences. At the time, Ultimecia was searching for Edea Kramer, whom she thought was uniquely placed to start her plan. However, she had been briefly junctioned to a child, still in the womb, still developing, with the dormant power of a Sorceress. A child, ironically, that in the previous timelines, she had tried to exploit, but who managed to turn on her.

But as Ultimecia was torn away from her body, screaming as she was sucked into the foetus she had only briefly looked at, she never knew she was going to get a chance the child, and herself, never got. A childhood. A gift of immeasurable value…

* * *

Rinoa Caraway was a strange child, to say the least. When she was born, General Fury Caraway almost immediately demanded a paternity test. He had believed his wife, Julia (née Heartilly, the famous singer of _Eyes on Me_ ), to have had an affair, and even when the paternity test came up in his favour (that is, he was indisputably the father of Rinoa), their relationship was strained for some months afterwards, not helped by the demands of parenthood.

Of course, it wasn't without reason that he had such suspicion. His daughter had been born with silvery hair, with a black streak in the middle. And her eyes had a distinctive baleful ring of gold around the pupil, in the centre of black irises. Both he and Julia had dark hair and dark eyes. After several more paternity tests, and the doctors putting the strange features to a random mutation, Caraway reluctantly accepted the girl as his own.

He also kept one thing the doctors discovered a secret of the highest order. Rinoa was a Sorceress, a rare one born rather than having the power transferred from a dying Sorceress to one who had the potential to wield such power. Only Rinoa's parents knew she was a Sorceress. And, once she understood what it meant, so did Rinoa. Whenever she used her powers, raven-black wings sprouted from her back, giving her the air of a fallen angel.

Rinoa was often a quiet, pensive, even sullen child. Not actually spoilt, but she seemed preoccupied at times, and sometimes lost her temper at the oddest of stimuli. For some reason, hearing about SeeD and Garden (after they had been founded) was one of them, and the subject was avoided in front of her most of the time, though why she would hold rancour for an organisation that was only recently established, he had no idea. That being said, she seemed at her happiest around her mother, as well as at play. But Julia's death in a car accident caused much of that happiness to go away, despite what Caraway did.

She liked going to the theatre and to operas and to art galleries, and she seemed to love that. And General Caraway did try to indulge her. Not so often as to spoil her. Oddly enough, she didn't actually throw that many temper tantrums when she didn't get her own way, and even bore some refusals with a sort of adult resignation. It was merely some pet peeves that ignited her temper, not a lack of indulgence. SeeD and Garden being the ones to avoid.

She also seemed obsessed with horology, even having a minor hobby collecting clocks and watches. It was as if she was obsessed with time, making sure she could use it to her own advantage. Punctuality certainly was something she was obsessed with, as if she wanted every second to count.

Caraway wondered if she would ever join the G-Army. A Sorceress could be a very valuable asset to the G-Army, but they would also be very much a feared figure. Even now, people told scary bedtime stories to their children about Adel, the Tyrant of Esthar (even though rumours emerged that she had been overthrown), and many Galbadians dreaded a Sorceress. There were rumours that Garden and SeeD had been founded by another Sorceress.

And in any case, Rinoa didn't look like the sort to enter the army. She seemed more obsessed with going into humanitarian work. Caraway didn't object because, as long as she didn't do anything stupid, it would be excellent PR for Caraway. At least until he learned what she intended to do: found some sort of charity designed to support and protect Sorceresses, as well as anyone else with unusual powers. The argument that ensued had been their worse, and at the age of fifteen, Rinoa Caraway left home, and adopted the maiden name of her mother, becoming Rinoa Heartilly, in a renunciation of her father.

He didn't stop her outside of the argument, even when she liquidated her own bank account, which had a substantial amount of money in it. The way he saw it, as long as she didn't embarrass him, she could do what she wished. If she succeeded and did well, then that was all for the good of it, as she felt at least passionate about her cause. If she failed, well, she would probably come back to him. At least she wasn't doing something as blindingly stupid as joining one of those resistance groups in Timber. That would be tilting at windmills even more than her idea for a support charity.

The first whisper of success came when he heard she had established an operation out of an abandoned house in Winhill. She had obtained the help of Winhill's richest resident to help fund the operation. And the organisation was already given a name that already made its intentions clear. Sorceresses were known as the Descendants of Hyne, so the name Hyne's Shield spoke volumes.

As the organisation grew over the course of the next few months, Caraway began to sigh in relief. While it was still early days yet, Rinoa had not made any egregious mistakes, though hiring a couple of known troublemakers from Timber (whose parents Deling shot right in front of them, in what had to be one of his most imbecilic moves) did seem a bit odd and suspicious. And the dog seemed a bit odd.

True, her organisation was controversial because of what it believed. Sorceresses were objects of fear, but Hyne's Shield believed that, although such abilities should not be hidden, Sorceresses were as deserving of love and care as any human being, and it was usually when they were deprived of this that they went down the route of Adel. Supporters and detractors of Hyne's Shield were equally venomous. But Rinoa moved on, relentlessly. Yes, that was the right term. She got most of her looks (oddities of hair and eyes aside) from her mother, but General Caraway knew that she had gotten more of her fire from him. But there was something, he was sure, that Rinoa had gotten from neither himself nor Julia. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

* * *

"Zone!" Rinoa called out to the dark-haired young man. "Cease your shirking and get out here! This paperwork's not going to fix itself!"

Rinoa smirked slightly when she heard the young man grumbling about his sensitive stomach as he emerged from his bedroom. He truly did have a temperamental stomach, but he frequently used stomach cramps as an excuse to skive off work. When he put his mind to it, he was a good worker. He just hated paperwork.

She ran a hand with long, almost talon-like nails on her fingers through her silver hair, with a single streak of black. Her cute face was often set into a scowl or a pensive look, though when she smiled, even her strange hair and even stranger eyes did nothing to mar her beauty. If anything, they made her even more exotic. Although she wore a long blue duster sweater with no sleeves (and a wing design on the back) over a black top and bike pants, she habitually walked barefoot, unless she was walking far.

The young Sorceress raised an eyebrow as Zone came down the stairs. They had converted an abandoned house into the headquarters for Hyne's Shield. Apparently, it used to belong to the family of a girl called Ellone (the name rang a bell for Rinoa, but she couldn't understand why). The family were murdered by Esthar soldiers working under Adel, save for Ellone, who escaped capture by them. Adel had intended to turn Ellone into her successor if she proved worthy. Ellone was actually captured some time later during a later raid. The house was abandoned since Ellone's parents were murdered, though a Galbadian soldier and travel writer by the name of Laguna Loire stayed here for a time. Rinoa recognised the name from a story her mother told her about him. She wished he had been her father, because as goofy as he sounded, better a warm-hearted goof than that somewhat distant (even if indulgent) father.

Zone slouched towards her. "Okay, Princess, I'm here." They called her 'Princess' partly because she was General Caraway's daughter, and partly because she often spoke haughtily. It was good-natured teasing, and Rinoa bore it with good humour.

"Good. Watts is on his research run. We're tracking down the known Sorceresses and people with other known abilities. The girl who used to live here interests me most of all."

"Yeah, that Ellone girl. Watts actually found out where she went from the townsfolk. He did the research." He scowled, taking a paper from the pile on one of the many desks, having converted the living room into an office. "Frigging coward left me to tell you what happened, because he knew what your reaction would be."

"My reaction…" Rinoa scowled. "Don't tell me…no, on second thoughts, tell me."

"You promise not to hurt me?"

"No. Watts, though, for leaving you to pick up the bill, so to speak, I will make him sing soprano for at least an hour after I'm done with him."

Zone, with some relief, shrugged, and began reading from the paper. "Ellone was sent, along with the infant child of the then-recently deceased Raine Loire, née Leonhart, to the Kramer Orphanage on the Centra continent. And as you know from your own researches, the Kramers…"

"…Founded Garden and SeeD," Rinoa said, her voice deceptively calm. She put a hand to her face and massaged her forehead. "Oh, Hyne, why isn't anything simple or easy? Damned SeeDs…"

Zone remained silent. He had once asked Rinoa why she hated the SeeDs and Garden so much. She said that she had nightmares of them trying to murder her. When he had pointed out how ridiculous this sounded, she had promptly encased him in a Blizzaga spell, nearly giving him hypothermia. Nowadays, he liked avoiding frostbite. Or third degree burns.

Rinoa herself wasn't so sure why she hated SeeD so much. Besides the nightmares, though, she knew (though she wasn't sure how) that their true purpose was to hunt down and exterminate Sorceresses wherever they were found. But tempting as it was to go to war against them, they were military academies, for crying out loud. At least doing it this way, she could do something better than wage war.

Of course, she trained herself up so that one day, if she did have to go to war against SeeD, or anyone else who would harm her or her kind, she intended to make sure they feared the name of Rinoa Heartilly.

Rinoa blinked when a realisation came to her. Zone didn't have that much actual fortitude. He could be brave in behind-the-scenes stuff, but in confrontations, he folded pretty quickly. So the fact that he fronted up and told her about where Ellone had gone was a bit suspicious. And when she noticed a nervous glance towards a pile of papers, her suspicions grew. With a click of her fingers, the papers turned into a brief, small blizzard, that soon subsided. The papers were in a neat pile, while something concealed within was hovering near her.

Rinoa sighed when she saw what it was. "The latest issue of _Girl Next Door_ magazine, Zone? Really? Watts finds it really easy to bribe you, you know. All he needs to do is buy the latest porn from Timber Maniacs Publishing. You know the rules here. Keep the smut out of the office or it gets burned. If you'd kept it in your room, this wouldn't be happening."

"Rinoa, please…" Zone said in a pleading tone, but Rinoa was relentless.

"An issue of _Girl Next Door_ : 500 Gil. A subscription to a year of _Girl Next Door_ : 5000 Gil. The look on your lecherous friend's face when you burn his issue of _Girl Next Door?_ " She snapped her fingers again, and the porn magazine was instantly consumed by flames with a _fwoosh!_ , the ashes dropping to the floor, and Zone screaming in grief. Rinoa smirked. " _Priceless_. There's some things money can't buy. For those things, there's Fwoosh(1)."

Rinoa rolled her eyes as Zone cradled the ashes. You'd think she had just burned a puppy, the way he was carrying on. She was sure he was going to even put the ashes in an urn. He should be grateful, really. What she did to him was far more lenient than what she was going to do to Watts when he showed his face…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **This chapter was more to set the scene than anything else. Although I considered an OC for Ultimecia to possess, I decided fusing Ultimecia and Rinoa would be more interesting. It would certainly be a (hopefully) unique spin on the whole 'Ultimecia is a future Rinoa' fan theory, which I think is a crock, but hey, why not use it for an interesting twist?**

 **Now, this story is going to be updated slowly. Why? I need to figure out the rest of the plot. As Ultimecia is stranded from the very future she is from, it means that much of the plot of the canon game has been wiped away. Adel will be a problem, but much of the plot will revolve around Galbadia's ambitions and how Rinoa/Ultimecia will clash with SeeD, only to grudgingly ally with them. As this will be a Squinoa pairing (sounds like some sort of exotic dish), it'll make it a bit more interesting.**

 **And in case you're thinking Rinoa is being a bit harsh with Zone, she's trying to run a tight ship. She allows him to read his magazines in private, but she doesn't tolerate them out in the office, where someone could, theoretically, spot them. Most of her punishments are more comical than damaging (and in case you're wondering, Rinoa uses a spell to make Watts sing soprano rather than attacking his groin, physically or magically). Given how flaky they are at times in the game, opting out of dangerous situations often that Rinoa will go into, well, it's not out of the question.**

 **Next chapter will have Rinoa's first encounters with SeeD, namely Edea Kramer, Ellone, and the White SeeDs.**

 **1\. This is a reference to a similar joke in** ** _Looking for Group_** **, spoken by Richard the Warlock. And that is a spoof of the famous Mastercard ads.**


	3. La Vita Nuova Chapter 2

_**LA VITA NUOVA**_

 **CHAPTER 2:**

 **PRIDE AND PREJUDICE**

Rinoa's sixteenth birthday didn't start auspiciously. In fact, she woke up screaming. She had tried to avoid doing that whenever she had the nightmares, of being a Sorceress named Ultimecia, pursued by SeeD just for existing. But sometimes, despite her attempts to stop doing so for the neighbours' sake, as well as that of Zone and Watts (they grew up in a town with frequent raids by the G-Army, after all, and being the children of known insurgents didn't help matters), she couldn't help it. She had gotten around this by using a special ward to muffle noises from her room.

Magic came to her instinctively, and not just the Para-Magic used by the military of the world. Para-Magic was powerful, but a pale shade of what Sorceress power could do. And she could use it for far more than just battle.

The teenager shook the last remnants of the nightmare from her mind. It felt too real to be merely a nightmare, but even so, that's what it remained. No belligerent SeeDs stood around her bed, ready to skewer her, burn her to ashes and salt her remains.

She left her bedroom, and made for the bathroom, taking her clothes for the day with her. Once inside, she stripped, and stood, for a time, looking at her naked form in the mirror. While much of her body was desirable, she was sure, the oddities of her appearance, partly due to her Sorceress abilities, often deterred suitors. Not that Rinoa really wanted any. But there was the nagging feeling that she needed to find a Knight, soon.

All Sorceresses were supposed to have a Knight, a partner, frequently a romantic one, who was to act both as bodyguard, and anchor. The Knight was to protect the Sorceress from all dangers…including herself.

Ultimecia, the Sorceress in her dreams, had never had a Knight for long. She had two. The first had been murdered by SeeD. The second had turned out to be a SeeD assassin. Ultimecia had vowed never to have a Knight again, intending to protect herself with a variety of magical beasts.

Those dreams…they felt so real. The world wasn't like the one she saw in her dreams, and yet, she had had them, long before SeeD and Garden were established. Perhaps she was seeing into the future. Perhaps she was a Sorceress with the ability to see what the future may be, and perhaps it was her duty to ensure it never came about.

But how? Even at her young age, Rinoa knew destroying SeeD and Garden was out of the question, for that may make them martyrs. Her father had been a good teacher about how to deal with rebels and revolutionaries: he despaired at Vinzer Deling's autocratic rule, particularly over Timber. Zone and Watts' parents were martyrs to the revolutionaries there. They had been intending to follow in their parents' footsteps, and rebel against Galbadia. But after hearing some of those harebrained schemes they cooked up, she decided that they weren't going to be succeeding any time soon. Most of Galbadia's ambitions were fuelled by Deling. Once he was dead (preferably from an internal plot), Galbadia would, if not withdraw from Timber, then at least lessen the oppression.

Rinoa decided a better way to counter SeeD and Garden's mission was to create an organisation in opposition to it. Not a military academy, but rather, an organisation dedicated to soothing the fears of the populace, as well as giving young Sorceresses and those with other strange powers somewhere to go. One remote place that proved friendly to Sorceresses was Shumi Village, and Rinoa was seriously considering moving most of Hyne's Shield to there. She was currently in negotiations with the Elder Shumi. Of course, these were pipe dreams. Like that dog she saw at Timber at a petshop while visiting to give an interview to Timber Maniacs, the one she nearly bought, until she realised she might not be able to afford it. She went back later, only to find that the dog was sold. That was only a few days ago. What a shame, too. Many dogs fled or attacked her when she got close. This dog didn't.

Rinoa looked at her face in the mirror. Briefly, it seemed to change into a face she recognised as that of Ultimecia from her dreams: a cruel, proud face, with silver hair, styled into horns at the side, and strange, tattoo-like markings on her face, with golden irises.

Ultimecia looked into her eyes, and said, quietly, " _Change the future. Stop SeeD._ " Then, she was gone.

* * *

After she finished her shower and dressed, she realised that Zone and Watts, unusually, were already up. They had left a note on her desk. _At Winhill Pub. Meet us there. Z & W_.

She smiled, figuring that they had cooked something up. And she wasn't disappointed when she walked in, and heard them yell, " _SURPRISE!_ "

She laughed when she saw the banner ( _HAPPY 16_ _TH_ _BIRTHDAY, RINOA!_ ), and the breakfast laid out for her. "Thanks, guys!" she said as she walked over to the table and sat down.

"You're 16, a special year for a princess!" Zone said with a smirk. "You'll get your present after breakfast."

Rinoa tucked into her food eagerly, more out of a desire to get to the present. But the food was lovely, all the same, and she enjoyed it immensely. It was rare that she indulged like this.

 _Not as fine as the food my servants would cook_ , Ultimecia seemed to whisper sadly in her mind. Sometimes, her thoughts were in Ultimecia's voice.

Soon, Rinoa had finished her meal. Watts, by this time, had headed outside. Zone, meanwhile, looked at Rinoa. "Now, when we were in Timber last, catching up with old friends, we saw something that we knew you'd like. We noticed you wanting it. So…we thought we'd get it."

A bark sounded from outside, and Watts came in, escorting a very beautiful dark-haired dog, the very one she had been admiring in the petstore. "Princess, ma'am, I'd like to introduce you to Sant' Angelo di Roman(1). Angelo for short. Despite the name, Angelo here is a girl."

The dog dashed forward, and began licking at Rinoa's now outstretched hands. She laughed. "Hello, Angelo. I'm Rinoa."

Angelo barked a couple of times, albeit in a somewhat friendly manner. "She's already taken with you, Princess," Zone remarked with a laugh.

"She's perfect," Rinoa said with a smile. "Oh, thank you! You didn't have to buy her!"

Getting Angelo was the highlight of the day. In retrospect, Rinoa was glad, given that the rest of the day would be somewhat fraught, not with danger, but with something that angered her…

* * *

As she worked on a pamphlet for Hyne's Shield, gently patting Angelo as she did so, Rinoa didn't notice anything was up until Angelo barked softly. Rinoa then turned to find a pair of young men in a very familiar uniform, if only because she had seen it in her dreams.

SeeDs. Specifically, the White SeeDs.

Then, a pair of other people walked in, two women. One was a girl about five or so years her senior, with brown hair, wearing a white dress with a blue sleeveless top. The other was a woman of indeterminate age, rather attractive, with long dark hair, green eyes, and a long black dress. She had a surprisingly kindly air, almost matronly, despite her age being hard to determine.

Rinoa stood, keeping her temper in check with some difficulty, and walked over to the reception desk. "Can I help you?" she asked in a somewhat clipped tone.

"Actually, it is more of the other way around, Miss Heartilly," the woman said. "I am Edea Kramer, co-founder of SeeD and Garden, along with my husband Cid. And like you, I am a Descendant of Hyne. This is Ellone, whom I believe you have been sending out feelers for."

Rinoa struggled to keep a scowl off her face. "Send your attack dogs out, Kramer. SeeDs aren't welcome here."

To her surprise, Edea nodded, and waved at them. "Please leave. You're making her uncomfortable."

They bowed, before leaving. "Your hounds are very well-trained, Kramer," Rinoa observed coldly.

"SeeD was my conception, Miss Heartilly," Edea said. "Your antagonism towards them is known."

"Because I know that SeeD was created to persecute Sorceresses," Rinoa retorted. As shock bloomed over Edea's face, Rinoa went in for the kill. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"No. Not Sorceresses, plural. **_A_** Sorceress. One who is said to be a threat to the world, to all creation. Though it's something of a secret that SeeD was created to stop the Sorceress. How do you know?"

"I…see it in my dreams. Vicious attack dogs like those you sent outside," Rinoa snarled. "Exactly like them, persecuting Sorceresses because they were **_born_**. Just for being born Hyne's Descendent!"

Edea frowned. "Precognition?"

"You tell me."

"I can assure you, none of the SeeDs under my command, or that of Garden, is currently engaged in such activity," Edea said.

"Assure what you like. I know what I saw, long before I even saw your SeeDs. Spare me your lies. I am here to safeguard Sorceresses, make sure they grow up in a world without fear, while you are working against that."

"That's hardly fair!" Ellone spoke up.

"Life rarely is," Rinoa retorted. She subsided, her attention going over to Ellone. "You were the girl who used to live here, aren't you?"

Ellone nodded. "I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot."

Rinoa's eyes flickered over to Edea's. "The fault is not yours, Ellone," Rinoa said with a sigh. "I was merely curious after hearing tales from the people here."

"Who sent me away to Matron's orphanage, I might add," Ellone said. "Along with Squall. They didn't care at the time."

"Squall?"

"Squall Leonhart, son of Raine Loire," Edea explained. "He's a cadet at Balamb Garden, currently. Ellone knew his parents. Miss Heartilly, as Ellone said, I am sorry we got off on the wrong foot. And I do understand your concerns that these dreams may be premonitions of what is to come. Sorceress powers manifest in odd ways, after all. Ellone is capable of sending the consciousness of those she chooses into the past, and she isn't even a Sorceress, properly speaking. I will not dismiss your visions as delusion. All that I ask is that you consider the possibility that SeeD is not like that today."

"You are a military academy turning orphans into child soldiers," Rinoa remarked acidly. "And you give them Guardian Forces, for crying out loud! You do know what GFs do to your memories, right?"

"Blame the Garden Faculty, particularly of Balamb," Edea said. "I do not let my SeeDs use them lightly. But you are right in some regards. There are still other military academies across the world. Miss Heartilly, what you do here is admirable. I came here partly to say that I wanted to support Hyne's Shield however I can."

"If you intend to give money, forget it. Garden money is blood money, even without the Sorceress-hunting."

"Aside from money, I have contacts," Edea said, placing a piece of paper on the desk, a list of names and contact details. "These are children who either have Sorceress powers or else unusual abilities. Some reside within a Garden. I'm sure the children and their parents would appreciate the services you can give them. I also brought Ellone. When she heard of your organisation, she decided to join. It also gave her a chance to come back home. Normally, I wouldn't allow it, not without some sort of escort. That is why I contacted my husband: he is sending a SeeD cadet out on assignment as a favour to me, to guard Ellone, and safeguard Hyne's Shield."

"And act as your spy?"

"A real spy would be inconspicuous," Edea said. "It is rare that SeeD do _pro bono_ work. I am doing this because…I wish there was an organisation like this when I was growing up."

The sincerity in her voice startled Rinoa. "Were you persecuted?"

"It's a rare Sorceress who isn't," Edea said. "I was lucky that my parents were relatively rich and loving, but there were occasions when people tried to attack me. Your fears are my own, Miss Heartilly. I will not dismiss what you see in your dreams, for fear it may be premonition, but SeeD of the present does not do so. Only the White SeeDs and my husband are aware of its true goal, and the White SeeDs are more my bodyguards than full soldiers." Edea turned to leave. "I will stay in Winhill for a couple of days, until the SeeD cadet arrives. By the way, Miss Heartilly, do you have a Knight yet?"

The question was so unexpected, Rinoa only shook her head. "I…haven't, yet."

"Then let me advise you, not as Edea Kramer, founder of Garden and SeeD, but as one Sorceress to another: find one soon. Knights protect you from others, and from yourself," Edea said. She nodded to Rinoa. "Good day to you."

Rinoa scowled as Edea left, Ellone in tow. It wasn't a good day at all, now that SeeD and Garden had taken an interest. Angelo, next to her, whined, and she gently knelt down and patted her dog. But even as she did so, she reflected that Edea wasn't what she thought she'd be like. And for all Rinoa's suspicions, she had given good advice. Yes…she had to find a Knight. Soon…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Rinoa has met Edea and Ellone. And in case you're wondering who the SeeD cadet is, well, you'd be right if you guessed that it was Squall.**

 **The chapter title basically sets the scene for the rest of the fic. Being someone who has actually read** ** _Pride and Prejudice_** **(though I don't intend to read another Jane Austen novel), I know how the plot goes, and it will have a similar clash of personalities. Rinoa is more cynical and guarded than in the game, though she's still more cheerful than Squall. Most of the fic will be about Squall and Rinoa's relationship developing, and in different circumstances to the game. Ultimecia's influence on this timeline has stopped with her powers going to Rinoa rather than Edea. This means most of the conflict will be due to Vinzer Deling's greed, as well as an opposition to Hyne's Shield and Esthar preparing to break its silence.**

 **1\. According to the Final Fantasy Wiki, this is Angelo's full name, presumably taken from the** ** _Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania_** **. In the game, Rinoa bought Angelo on an impulse. Here, she is a birthday present.**


	4. La Vita Nuova Chapter 3

_**LA VITA NUOVA**_

 **CHAPTER 3:**

 **ARRIVAL AND ATROCITY**

Squall Leonhart didn't know why he had gotten this assignment. All that Headmaster Cid told him was that it was something that could put him on the fast-track to becoming a full SeeD. His mission was simple enough: act as security to the organisation known as Hyne's Shield, and particularly to a woman called Ellone, as well as the founder and leader of Hyne's Shield, Rinoa Heartilly, formerly Rinoa Caraway. The latter was apparently a Sorceress.

You could see it in her photos, Squall reflected. The only known public photos of Rinoa Heartilly were those on her website for Hyne's Shield. That silver hair with the single black streak, the black irises with the golden ring in the middle…it was no wonder she was an advocate for the rights of Sorceresses. If she had not grown up as the privileged daughter of General Fury Caraway, she probably would have been treated with a lot more fear and loathing. Beautiful in an exotic way, Squall thought to himself detachedly, though he never felt more than the most basic attraction to women. And none to men. He felt being attached to people would only bring pain. A distant, dim memory of being abandoned by the girl he thought of as a big sister came unbidden to mind.

There were consolations to coming here. Squall didn't have to put up with Zell being a loud idiot, or Seifer being antagonistic. And he didn't like the way Instructor Quistis Trepe tried to help him, even when he didn't want her help beyond what he asked for. It also meant getting some sort of field experience, even if it wasn't in the heat of battle. But being a bodyguard was one of the possible jobs a SeeD should undertake. And to be honest, he wanted to be somewhere peaceful and quiet for a while. Winhill certainly seemed to fit the bill. He considered this to be a working holiday, of sorts. Or perhaps a sabbatical?

He was travelling on the train to Winhill, reading a tattered copy of _Timber Maniacs_ , an issue that proclaimed itself to be the Laguna Loire Tribute Special. Apparently Laguna Loire was a former Galbadian soldier turned travel writer. The man was certainly enthusiastic about his travels, and Squall enjoyed them more for the interesting anecdotes rather than the rather goofy writing style. The man himself had a photo at the beginning of the magazine, a handsome face with long dark hair, and a rather silly grin on his face. There was something very vaguely familiar about that face, though Squall could not think what that was.

Someone would be waiting for him at the station. Squall was told by Cid that a woman called Edea Kramer, Cid's wife and a Sorceress herself, would be his contact. Apparently she was also the co-founder of Garden and SeeD.

Once the train stopped, Squall disembarked. He was pretty much one of the few people on the train besides the driver, he realised. He hefted his Revolver gunblade, engraved with the leonine image of Griever, and disembarked. And the only person waiting there was a woman in a simple, black dress, long black hair, and green eyes.

"Edea Kramer?" Squall asked, approaching the Sorceress.

She nodded. "Squall…you've grown since I've last seen you."

"Do I know you?"

"You were at the orphanage I used to run with my husband at Centra, before we founded Garden and SeeD. You may have forgotten. It has been a long time, after all," Edea said, though she looked a little hurt that he didn't remember.

Squall, now that he came to think about it, did find her vaguely familiar. A word from the fog of memory past came unbidden to his lips. "…Matron?"

Edea smiled sadly, and nodded in acknowledgement. "That's what you all used to call me. You, along with Zell, Seifer, Selphie, Quistis, and Irvine. Amongst so many others. Forgive me, I'm indulging in some nostalgia. Winhill isn't that far from here. It's a pleasant walk, and I can answer any questions that I can about your mission along the way."

As they walked together from the station, Squall asked, "Is this a bodyguard job?"

"That is the primary purpose of this mission, yes. There is a secondary objective as well, though. Rinoa Heartilly does not trust SeeD or Garden, and she has only agreed to your presence on sufferance," Edea said. "She may even believe you to be a spy. In truth, I would rather that she divulge what she knows willingly, and to me rather than to you to send back to Garden. Your task is to try and to get her to trust SeeD and Garden a little more. I fear it may be a difficult task. She seems to have knowledge, twisted though it is, of SeeD's true purpose."

"…True purpose?"

Edea nodded. "I founded SeeD based on information about future events…of a Sorceress who may be a threat in the future, a threat SeeD was founded to stop. However, Rinoa may possess some form of precognition. She claims to see a future where all Sorceresses are persecuted, and founded Hyne's Shield as a charity to counter this. She is somewhat hostile to Garden and SeeD. And if what she sees is precognition rather than paranoid preoccupation, then I cannot let it stand. SeeD was founded to combat _rogue_ Sorceresses, not engage in indiscriminate pogroms against all of them. If it is possible to change a future where SeeD has become corrupted from its ideals, then I will endeavour to do so. As a Sorceress myself, I can understand her fear and anger."

"You want me to inveigle myself with her," Squall said. "Try to get her to open a dialogue with Garden and SeeD, or at least decrease her antagonism."

"If possible, yes. You are not a spy, but a diplomat. I know some diplomats engage in espionage, but in this case, all I want is diplomacy."

Squall scoffed lightly. "I don't know why I was chosen. I am a combat expert, specialising in gunblades. I don't like getting involved with others."

Edea's eyes flicked over to Squall, before nodding. "Perhaps. But Cid sent you. And there is a bonus outside the parameters of the mission. You will not know this, but Winhill was where you were born. Your mother, Raine Leonhart, perished in childbirth. Your father was…unreachable, being in Esthar at the time when the Sorceress Adel was being overthrown. And the people of Winhill weren't fond of your father, so they sent you and another orphan to our orphanage. You were close to that other orphan. You called her 'Sis'. So when she had to leave…you were devastated, by all accounts."

Sis…the name sounded too-familiar to Squall. Rather bluntly, perhaps somewhat coldly, he said, "I don't have any interest in my past. What matters is the mission. I can't guarantee that I can help her open up."

"Squall, just be yourself. I get the feeling that Rinoa would appreciate someone who is blunt and frank with her, and according to my husband, you are one of the more frank SeeDs in Garden, what needs to be concealed by professionalism aside. I trust his judgement. Therefore, I will trust you."

This gave rise to a bitter smile on Squall's face. "That's probably a bad idea."

"No…no, I don't think so," Edea said. Squall was surprised at the conviction in her expression. He still didn't think they had chosen well...

* * *

Rinoa glared at the report that Watts had brought her. "Is this correct?" she asked.

"Yes, Rinoa, ma'am! Gathering intelligence is my specialty, after all!" Watts said with a sloppy salute, the beanie-wearing young man as eager as always, though his eager disposition was marred by the horrendous news he had delivered. His eyes certainly glittered with disgust and sorrow at what he had found out.

"But if this is correct…" Rinoa scowled. "It looks like I will have to use the SeeD's help for this."

"What's the matter?" Ellone asked. Rinoa thrusted the printout at her. After Ellone read it, she gasped. "This is horrible!"

"And in other news, the ocean is wet," Rinoa snarked.

"What is it?" Zone asked, getting up from his desk.

"According to this," Ellone said, "a resistance group in Timber calling themselves the Strangling Figs have abducted a young Sorceress by the name of Jessie(1), apparently the illegitimate daughter of a Galbadian soldier called Biggs. Her mother, Ruby(2), was already considered a traitor to the Timber resistance groups by many, though some say she slept with Biggs in order to stop him from purging Timber after one particular attack on the Galbadians. Ruby has been murdered, hung outside the front of Timber Maniacs in a…horrendous condition."

"They defiled her and disembowelled her, according to reports," Rinoa said with a scowl.

"It's more than that. The Strangling Figs intend to use Jessie as a weapon," Watts said. "They've fitted her with an Odine Bangle they have modified to control her. They intend to try and use her to destroy any Galbadian forces who attack Timber, according to a declaration of war they have issued against Galbadia. In part of their declaration, they have named myself and Zone as craven traitors who have shamed the memory of our parents!"

"They don't know what they're talking about," Rinoa said. "And according to this, I am seen as someone who should have assassinated my father." She sneered. "My father is not the best of people, but he is also one of the more sane people in Deling's administration. If it weren't for him, Deling may very well have razed Timber completely to the ground. As it is, the Strangling Figs are now making Timber a target for the Galbadian missile bases."

"Rinoa, ma'am…I have intelligence that they are no longer based in Timber. That they have moved closer to Deling City," Watts said. "My informant was a man who was part of the Strangling Figs, and disagreed with them, given that Jessie is only a child. They beat him and left him to die, but he was found in time." He looked over at Zone. "Remember Minwu(3), Zone? That former Estharian combat medic who raised us?"

"Yeah," Zone said. "He was the informant?"

"He contacted us, as he knows we're part of Hyne's Shield. They intended to make a new base in the Tomb of the Unknown King near Deling City."

Rinoa glared. "Then this will not stand. I intend to head for Deling City."

"Why?" Edea asked as she came through the door, followed by a boy about Rinoa's age.

Rinoa took the printout and handed it to Edea, before looking at the new arrival. He was dressed in black trousers and a black, fur-trimmed jacket, with a white shirt. His face was handsome, perhaps even a little beautiful, but the brown hair framed a cold, impassive expression. He extended a hand. "Squall Leonhart, SeeD cadet. You must be Rinoa Heartilly."

"That's a very interesting existential question, Squall Leonhart."

Squall raised an eyebrow at her facetiousness, but said nothing further. "Squall?" Ellone asked.

"Yes. And you are?"

"I'm Ellone…don't you remember?"

After a moment, Squall said, his voice a little chillier than before, "Barely, _Sis_." The word 'Sis' was invested with a cold venom.

"Squall, enough. It was my decision to take Ellone away with me for her own protection. I am sorry you were hurt by it, but it was for her own good," Edea reprimanded the young SeeD.

Squall subsided, and Ellone approached him, giving the teenager a hug. "It's okay, Squall. I didn't like being away from you guys either. I'm sorry it hurt you. Anyway, we'll be here for a while."

Edea finished reading the printout, and handed it over to Rinoa. "What are you intending to do about it?"

"In broad terms? I intend to infiltrate the Tomb, rescue Jessie, and leave those bastards for the Galbadians to deal with," Rinoa said. "The other Timber resistance groups will be glad to be rid of them. People who use a Sorceress as a weapon or a symbol of fear…I detest them as much as those who persecute them." She then looked at Squall. "As much as I do not wish to work with SeeD, I am not stupid. I require your help, Squall Leonhart."

He nodded. "Very well. Is this part of the mission, Edea?"

"It is now," Edea said. "Rinoa, I'll help Ellone, Zone and Watts hold the fort for the time being. I won't poke my nose into your business, I will be here purely to protect it. You have my word as a fellow Sorceress."

Rinoa scowled slightly, before nodding. "I will hold you to that. We'd better get going. Squall, with me. We're heading to Deling City, and from there, to the Tomb of the Unknown King. We're going to stop these bastards if it's the last thing we do…"

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **At last, the third chapter, and the first meeting between Squall and Rinoa. It will be the events at the Tomb of the Unknown King that begin to form the bond between them. The next chapter will have Rinoa meeting with her father for the first time in a long time. I decided to hurry up and finish this chapter after doing the fourth chapter for** ** _Vincit Qui Patitur_** **, a similar fanfic for** ** _Final Fantasy X_** **, only with Seymour becoming a good guy (and without reincarnation, either).**

 **The Strangling Figs were introduced basically on a whim. The Timber resistance movements seem either ineffectual or incompetent, so I wondered, what if one of them was the sort of vicious terrorist group who didn't give a shit for the consequences. I gave the name 'Strangling Figs' after the strangler figs that grow around trees and kill them. I wanted a name that kept with a woodland/wildlife theme of the Timber resistance movements. In the game canon, Rinoa's arrival and joining the Timber Owls caused the people who would be the formative members of the Strangling Figs to attack her, hoping to hold her hostage for General Caraway. Rinoa managed to fight her way out, and the Strangling Figs were sent to D-District Prison, certainly one of the deserving inmates. Yes, I made that up. So?**

 **Review-answering time! I'm surprised at how swiftly this story got reviews. Anyway,** **jgkitarel** **: You're probably right about why it alienated so many, but remember that the previous game, in terms of story and setting, was as much a quantum leap as** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **was. Midgar wouldn't look out of place in a cyberpunk novel, which is what** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **had the vibe of. Sadly, living in PAL territories, I have never been able to play** ** _Chrono Cross_** **(and I'm yet to get anywhere in** ** _Chrono Trigger_** **. Hmm, should recharge and fire up the DS sometime…).**

 **diagonalpumpkin** **: While I agree that Deling was written out too swiftly, he was really only a placeholder villain in the game itself, and was killed abruptly to show how much of a threat Edea/Ultimecia was. This story will have Deling as one of the main antagonists, though the Strangling Figs (or at least key members) may be recurring antagonists.**

 **Guest** **: My guess is that, at times, the family often alienates themselves from the Sorceress in some manner or another, and while friends and family are important, the Knight is a somewhat more stronger focus.**

 **YuukiAsuna-Chan** **: The combination of dying in her time, plus ending up inside a foetus, scrambled Ultimecia's memories somewhat. Ultimecia is not actually a separate personality, but she is different to what Rinoa has become. This Rinoa is more cynical and bitter, true, but unlike Ultimecia, she doesn't take it out destructively on other people. She is basically Ultimecia becoming a better person.**

 **1\. Named for one of the members of AVALANCHE from** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **.**

 **2\. Named for the sole female member of Tantalus from** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **.**

 **3\. Named for the White Mage from** ** _Final Fantasy II_** **, and a key member of a somewhat less nasty resistance movement.**


	5. La Vita Nuova Chapter 4

_**LA VITA NUOVA**_

 **CHAPTER 4:**

 **TRAINS OF THOUGHT**

Mateus looked around the tomb with some satisfaction. Blonde hair framed cruel, refined features. "To think, the Tomb of the Unknown King had a GF, well, two GFs guarding it. And now, they are mine," he murmured to himself. The leader of the Strangling Figs was alone in the tomb chamber itself, and he almost enjoyed hearing his resonant, cultured voice echo.

Mateus was the son of the mayor of Timber. But the invasion of Galbadia had changed all that. His father had died during the invasion, and his mother lingered for a long time on life support in a hospital. Mateus had gone through the motions of trying to be there for her, until she died a few years ago. His anger at Galbadia, bubbling away beneath the surface, finally burst forth, and angered at the impotence of the other so-called resistance groups of Timber (which were more like social clubs than serious revolutionaries), he decided to found his own movement. The Strangling Figs.

While exploring the Tomb of the Unknown King, Mateus and the Strangling Figs had encountered a massive GF with horns. They had fought it off, and Mateus decided to pursue and engage it alone. He already had one GF junctioned, Ramuh, but having another wouldn't hurt. He managed to defeat the two GFs he had found in here, Sacred and Minotaur, with relative ease. A Float spell helped him avoid the Earth-based attacks. And now, they had bowed to his will.

He heard footsteps approaching. "Boss," came the familiar growl of the squat Borghen. He had been the bodyguard of his father, but the now forty-something man was now his lieutenant. "We're bringing the equipment and the Sorceress in now. Lamia is with her."

Mateus grinned. Lamia was his girlfriend, and a very capable spy and assassin. "Good. The Galbadians may hesitate to attack Timber, thinking we will use the Sorceress against them. They shouldn't know that we've shifted to this place, so that we can launch an attack on Deling City itself. They will learn to rue the day they did so to Timber."

Borghen cleared his throat. "Be that as it may, boss, but we've got a problem. We sent someone back to make sure Minwu was dead. But he's been found. He's still alive."

Mateus scowled, before he said, "Annoying though that is, it's not a serious issue. He wouldn't dare tell the Galbadians."

"We managed to intercept a series of messages he sent…to Winhill. Hyne's Shield already had a copy of the declaration we sent to that traitor Watts, but Minwu managed to get in contact with Watts. Hyne's Shield knows where we are."

Mateus, after a moment's thought, scoffed. "So? Even if that treacherous whore Heartilly comes, she can't prevail against the Sorceress we have, along with the GFs. She's no fighter, just a loud-mouthed slattern who doesn't understand her place. She may have more spirit than those cowards Zone and Watts, but that's not saying much. She lacks conviction. In fact, if we subdue her rather than kill her, and then put her under the control of an Odine bangle…we might have another weapon to use against Galbadia." Mateus chuckled. "Oh, the beautiful irony: General Fury Caraway, destroyed by his own Sorceress slut of a daughter." Turning to Borghen, he said, "Monitor communications in Galbadia from our hacked feed. Minwu may have known that we were moving here, but he didn't know the whole plan."

"Speaking of which, we've tested the fascination spells on some of our men. Results are promising. The Sorceress can, by Lamia's estimates, influence the entire populace of Deling City and not break a sweat. She can cause riots in Deling City, or inspire an actual popular uprising. There's some who are resistant to our control."

"Can she influence one of Deling's aides? Someone close to the man?" Mateus then frowned. "Ugh, what am I saying? Deling detests having aides near him all the time. That being said, there'd have to be someone who could get close to him. A mistress, perhaps, or one of his military advisors. Perhaps General Caraway himself. Paranoid though Deling is, even he has weaknesses. Or…maybe a better option may be to use his vaunted Missile Bases against him. Yes…yes, that is it! We'll find a way to have someone fire missiles at Deling City, wipe it off the face of the world! And we could do so by influencing someone within Deling City, someone who can authorise it. Or maybe we'll have to find someone within the Missile Base. Tell Lamia I want details of every Missile Base and their personnel. Then, perhaps we can have front-row seats to Deling City being reduced to rubble."

* * *

Squall and Rinoa were seated in the special SeeD carriage of the train to Deling City, the latter hoping that Angelo, whom she had left behind, would be well looked after. Rinoa, though reluctant to work with a SeeD, was nonetheless curious despite herself. "I presume you were an orphan," she asked.

"So I am told. I didn't even know of my parents until Edea told me," Squall said. "Why do you ask?"

"I consider SeeD and Garden to be my enemy. You, of all people, should know the phrase 'know thy enemy'," Rinoa said. "Not that I intend to attack Garden and SeeD through military means. I mean, you are a military academy after all, and that would be stupid, as well as lending credence to my enemies."

"Ah. Grassroots movement and propaganda."

"Propaganda is such a strong word. I prefer education, especially as one of the worst enemies of any Sorceress is ignorance. Not all Sorceresses are like Adel. But too often, they are treated as being as bad as she was. We may sometimes look unearthly…" She looked at him pointedly with her eyes, with the golden ring in the centre of her dark irises. "But that is not a sign of evil."

"If you say so."

Rinoa scowled slightly. "And what is your opinion on the matter?"

"My mission is to assist you," Squall replied. "My opinion doesn't come into it."

Rinoa scoffed. "An obedient little clockwork soldier. So if Garden ordered you to kill me, would you do it?"

"Once I confirmed the veracity of the order, I would," Squall said. "I am a mercenary. A soldier. And a soldier is supposed to follow orders."

Rinoa gave a jaunty, sarcastic salute. "So, what? If your commander told you to kill every last Sorceress in the world, would you do it?"

She was pleased to see that the question made him uncomfortable. After a moment, he said, "Edea's Headmaster Cid's wife. He'd never order such a thing."

"I am speaking hypothetically of a commanding officer who would have no trouble ordering genocide. Could you carry it out? Well? Come on, I'm waiting, Squall."

His face twisted into a scowl. "Can we focus on the mission instead? I don't like being asked irrelevant questions."

"How is asking you about how you view Sorceresses, and how you would deal with killing them, irrelevant?" Rinoa demanded. "You are here to assist me with the operation of Hyne's Shield. Sometimes, that will mean a mission like this. And I want to know how committed you are to making sure not only I stay safe, but also my fellow Sorceresses!"

"I'm here because I was sent here, nothing more or less," Squall said, his expression darkened. "Whatever your goals are in the end are none of my business. I will help you as long as I am assigned to you."

Rinoa snorted. "The best I can hope for from a coin-operated clockwork soldier." She was pleased to see a flash of annoyance, even anger in his expression.

But then, she realised, this was the person who was supposed to protect her (not that she truly needed that), and pissing him off might not go down so well. In a more conciliatory tone, she asked, "Do you have any friends?"

"No." The single syllable response held a certain finality to it.

"Bitter enemies? Rivals?"

"…I do have a self-proclaimed rival. Seifer Almasy. He's a gunblade expert like me. He also delights in roping me into 'training duels'," Squall admitted. "I also have at least two people wanting to befriend me against my will. My newest instructor, Quistis Trepe, and a loud martial arts expert by the name of Zell Dincht. Instructor Trepe is a good instructor, but she tries to be friendly to me when I don't want her to. And Zell is a pain. Skilled, but a pain."

"…You don't really like anyone much, do you? What about Ellone? She seemed to know you."

"We knew each other when I was a kid," Squall said. "She left all of a sudden. She was like a big sister to us. Even now, I can barely remember the rest of us. There was this energetic girl called Selphie, and this other kid called Irvine. I only remember them now because Edea told me."

"That'd be the GFs," Rinoa remarked. "I have no need to junction GFs to use Para-Magic or Sorceress power, and frankly, given what happens to the memory…"

"Those are just rumours put about by detractors against Garden," Squall said.

"There are actually scientific papers, including some from Esthar. Doctor Odine himself wrote at least two monographs on the subject," Rinoa pointed out. "Garden suppresses and discredits them because they don't want to lose the military advantage of a Guardian Force. Of course, a Sorceress, if they are in full command of their powers, can summon GFs without junctioning them." She smiled. "Actually, I discovered once that I can even create GFs. Perhaps it's even a gift of the Sorceress normally, but most don't know how to use it."

"What do you mean, _create_ GFs?" Squall asked. "I thought they were monsters of a particular type in the world whom you could summon."

"Of course, though under the right circumstances, you can summon Chocobos, Moogles, Moombas, even a Tonberry or a Cactuar." She frowned, as she looked at the gunblade with the engraved lion emblem on it. "As an example, that emblem there, what is it?"

"That?" Squall asked. After a moment, he said, "It's a lion. I have the same symbol on a necklace, along with a ring. It's been a favourite of mine, since I learned what my last name meant. Leonhart, or Lion Heart. There's even a gunblade out there called the Lion Heart, the most powerful known gunblade. So once I saved up enough money from being a SeeD cadet, I commissioned these, to make the gunblade my own. I even gave the lion a name: Griever."

Rinoa nodded, approving despite herself. "If you wished, I could create a GF like Griever. I've begun creating GFs based on dreams that I had."

"Are these the dreams Edea told me of? Of a future where SeeD hunts all Sorcresses?"

"…Yes," Rinoa admitted.

After a moment, Squall said, "Dreams are not the future. What matters is the present. What matters is the now. And you are passionate about your cause, I'll give you that."

"That sounds like high praise coming from you," Rinoa said with a sardonic smirk.

"…Whatever," was his only response. At least for a few uncomfortable minutes. Then, he asked, "From Deling City, where do we go?"

"I intend to stop by the home of my father," Rinoa admitted reluctantly. "After all, my intention is to rescue Jessie. Any members of the Strangling Figs who survive, I will give into the custody of the Galbadians. The Timber groups won't be happy, but they'll be glad that the Strangling Figs are out of the picture, given that at least the Timber resistance knows something of the meaning of discretion and subtlety. Even if they don't know how to fight the Galbadians properly."

"You don't think much of them," Squall said.

Rinoa snorted. "The most active of them tried to recruit Zone and Watts, along with myself, in some harebrained scheme to spread Malboro juice around the local barracks. You tell me."

Squall, despite his usually stoic façade, actually smirked at that. "You're kidding me."

"Sadly, no. And that was their best scheme. The problem is, doing much more than that might provoke the G-Army into crushing Timber. I think many of the resistance movements know this. They generally pass the time by pranking the local Galbadian soldiers and general civil disobedience. Then again, Zone and Watts' parents were key members of the resistance shortly after Timber was first conquered. They were shot right in front of their sons. Legend has it that Deling merely shot their corpses to make a point, but he actually killed them himself, surprisingly. Ironically, that incident caused more desertions and resignations from the G-Army than causing more resistance in Timber." She looked at the magazine near Squall's hand, and muttered, "Speak of the devil…"

"What?"

"That looks like the _Timber Maniacs_ Laguna Loire special," Rinoa muttered. "My mother knew him once. He had a bit of an infatuation with her, and she actually wrote _Eyes on Me_ based on Laguna. But he disappeared during a mission to investigate the Esthar army's activities. He later ended up in Winhill, and lived for a time in the very house I run Hyne's Shield from after resigning from the G-Army. Actually, the Timber Maniacs publishing house is considering publishing a magazine for Hyne's Shield. Zone's currently compiling it. You know, I wish I met Laguna. He's an excellent writer, and I reckon he would have done great for Hyne's Shield."

"Maybe, but there's times when what he writes about makes him out to be an idiot," Squall said.

* * *

On his annual visit to inspect, via spacewalk, Adel's Tomb, up in orbit, Laguna Loire, President of Esthar, sneezed twice. The noise was deafening in the spacesuit helmet, and he found, much to his dismay, snot smeared all over the inside of the helmet, where he would find it impossible to clean off. "Oh, no…" he groaned loudly.

* * *

Any further discussion on the matter of Laguna Loire was ended when the loudspeaker crackled into life. " _Next stop, Deling City Station. Repeat, next stop, Deling City Station. This train terminates at this station. All passengers must disembark. If you need to go to another stop, please transfer to the appropriate train_ …"

Rinoa sighed, getting to her feet. She was not looking forward to this meeting. Even so, she knew she couldn't stop the Strangling Figs alone, or at least not ensure that they were cleaned up after she was done with them…

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Here's the latest chapter for this story. Hope you enjoy it. I was originally going to have Rinoa meet with her father in this chapter, but the train sequences took over, and helps establish Rinoa and Squall's conflicting characters, as well as laying the foundations for both development, and the romance. I also hope you liked the little bit with Laguna.**

 **Now, regarding the Strangling Figs, I took their names from antagonists from** ** _Final Fantasy II_** **, avoiding Leon (to avoid confusion with Squall Leonhart, obviously). I also didn't think about what their plan was until this chapter, and frankly, I don't think they did either. But they're good at thinking them up, and the fascination spell mentioned is a brainwashing spell Edea uses on the Galbadian public at the end of the first disc when she assassinates Deling (this is only implied in the game: it's confirmed by the Ultimania).**

 **Now, I'd like to plug my latest** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **crossover. It's the first such crossover as far as I know with** ** _Neon Genesis Evangelion_** **, it involved Shinji being shipped with a teenaged Ultimecia (set years before her confrontation with Squall and company), and it's called** ** _Anchor of Ultimecia_** **. Some of my ardent followers may already have read it, but I'm plugging it anyway.**

 **No numbered annotations this time…**


	6. La Vita Nuova Chapter 5

_**LA VITA NUOVA**_

 **CHAPTER 5:**

 **AN AWKWARD REUNION**

Squall hadn't been to Deling City before, having only seen photos and videos. Now that he was here, he thought it gaudy and overcrowded. He much preferred the quiet of Balamb or Winhill. That, and the stares. Rinoa, after all, had a rather exotic appearance, and it was possible that she was known in Deling City.

As his eyes flickered around, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be hostile (Rinoa, after all, was the daughter of General Caraway), he asked, "How did you become estranged from your father?"

Rinoa scoffed. "That's a rather personal question."

"Consider it my trying to know more about my client to help the mission," Squall said. His instincts were jangling. They were being followed. "I normally don't try to get involved in other people's problems if I can help it."

"Unless it's for a mission? As a SeeD, a mercenary, you get involved in people's problems by default," Rinoa observed. After a time, Rinoa said, "It's complicated. Yes, I know, that's a cliché answer. Do you know anything about my mother?"

"Julia Heartilly, songwriter, best known for _Eyes on Me_. Your anecdote about her knowing Laguna Loire was probably the most I've heard about her. And him, for that matter."

Rinoa shot him a look with her gold-ringed dark eyes. "A SeeD knowing their own ignorance. Will the wonders never cease?" As they continued down the street, Rinoa said, "My mother died when I was rather young. My father was loving before then, and, well, he still was afterwards. But he became distant after that. Then again, I guess I became distant too. The love went out of both of our lives. My father tried to bridge the gap, true, trying to help me enjoy my life…but we were too different. I was, admittedly, different to my mother, but she loved me all the same."

As they turned a corner, Squall caught a glimpse of their tail hurrying to catch up. "You miss her," he said, keeping half his mind on the conversation.

"And you love to state the obvious. In a way, it's so strange. The pain I felt when my mother died, it felt strangely familiar, as if I had known what it was like to lose a loved one. I think it's due to my premonitions. It's as if I lived a whole different life before, but in the future." She scowled. "Oh, why am I telling you this?"

"I've no idea. Like I said, I don't like to get involved in other people's problems. Why did you part ways with your father? You didn't leave when your mother died."

Rinoa nodded. "It was when I first thought of the concept of Hyne's Shield. We had an argument. I was fifteen, but I felt ready to set up Hyne's Shield. My father, though, thought I was too young. In truth, I feel older in some regards. We had a blazing row, though I was the one doing most of the shouting, and then, I upped and left. Took every Gil out of my account, and left Deling City. We've only spoken intermittently since, though I know he uses his contacts in the Galbadian spy networks to keep an eye on me."

Squall frowned as he stopped to peer in a shop window, and caught a sight of their tail in the reflection. "Speaking of voyeurs, there's been someone tailing us since we left the station. I'm still trying to determine whether she's with the Galbadians or with the Strangling Figs."

Rinoa stiffened, resisting the urge to turn around, before she smirked. "There's a park nearby. Good place for an ambush…"

* * *

As they made their way into the park, Squall got ready. "How good are you at interrogation?"

"I can tear the memories straight from her skull," Rinoa said.

"That means you're very good, then?" Squall asked wryly.

They made their way through a tree-riddled area. It was getting late, and there weren't many people in the park itself. The verdant surroundings reminded Squall a little of the Training Centre back home at Balamb Garden. He had tested himself against T-Rexaurs in there. He had felt no small amount of pride in being able to defeat one with his gunblade.

Rinoa, meanwhile, cast a spell on the ground. Then, as they moved behind another tree, they heard a yelp of surprise and pain. "What was that?"

"Simulated Malboro breath," Rinoa said with a vicious smirk. "I'm no Blue Mage, but I like to study the abilities monsters use and try to emulate them."

They went back to where their tail was on the ground, looking rather ill. Long red hair framed a cruelly beautiful face. An attractive, but dangerous-looking woman, Squall thought. Then again, so was Rinoa. The woman was not the one who was following them in appearance, but Squall's instincts were telling him that she was the one. "Well, well, well…" Rinoa mused thoughtfully.

"You recognise her?"

"Yes. That's Lamia, one of the Strangling Figs. I've seen the wanted posters Galbadia have put up on the network. Girlfriend to their leader, Mateus, and one of their spies. She's got an uncanny knack for disguising herself with custom Para-Magic, but my spell dispelled her disguise. Rumour has it that she learned from a Gerogero how to shapeshift using Para-Magic."

"Charming," Squall said with a grimace. Gerogeros were grotesque revenants, intelligent undead creatures that could shapeshift so that they could attack their victims without trouble. Thankfully, like undead creatures in general, healing magic and items hurt them(1).

Rinoa smirked, before casting a series of spells in quick succession. Lamia was soon cured of her ailments and conscious, but unable to speak or move much beyond her head and face. She was glaring, though, at Rinoa. "I take a very dim view of stalkers, you know," Rinoa said. "Now, I know that you're thinking that, even if we have caught you, we can't make you talk, right?" Lamia nodded. "That's fine, talking's wholly optional. You see, I'm really good with memories. And I can pluck them right from your skull. I'd say this won't hurt a bit, but I'd be lying."

Squall was disturbed when Rinoa's irises turned completely golden, like the baleful gaze of a monster. Lamia stiffened, and convulsed, her eyes wide, her mouth open in a silent scream. This went on for a few seconds, before finally, Lamia subsided, her eyes twitching, her jaw slack with a rivulet of drool trickling from it. A dark patch began to appear on Lamia's pants, her bladder control having gone the same way as her consciousness.

"She's not dead," Rinoa said, anticipating Squall's outraged exclamation as her eyes returned to (what was for her) normal. "She's still very much alive, and she will recover, given time. She deserves worse. She was the one who personally gutted Ruby, and she loves torture and assassination. She even loves killing people as she has sex with them."

Squall glared down at the catatonic Lamia in disgust. "What do we do with her?"

"Bring her to my father. I can use a charm spell to control her, effectively make her my puppet. She'll look like she's drunk, but I think we can deal with that. After all, I'm the designated driver here." Rinoa made a gesture, and Lamia got to her feet, swaying slightly. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

* * *

To the rest of the populace, they looked like a pair of people escorting a drunken friend home. Ten minutes later, they made it to Caraway Mansion. It was a pretty snazzy place, and Squall knew that Caraway came from old money, hence his ability to afford such a place. The guard, a young officer (an officer cadet, if Squall's knowledge of Galbadian rank symbols was up to snuff) recognised Rinoa. "Rinoa! Who are these people?"

"Wedge, this is Squall Leonhart of SeeD. And this woman is our prisoner. We came to visit my father about something, but this woman was stalking us." She then whispered into Wedge's ear.

"I see. Wait a moment." Wedge spoke briefly into a radio, and nodded. "Wait here, please. General Caraway will be out before long."

"You know each other?" Squall asked.

"I have been on guard duty here on occasion since a few months before Rinoa left," Wedge said. "Unfortunately, my superiors don't seem to like me. They keep bouncing me back to guard detail here. At least General Caraway's a nice guy. He's helping me get through the ranks."

"You're nicer than him, Wedge. I remember the goodbye you gave me when I left here," Rinoa said with a smile. "You've also lost that stutter too."

Squall considered Wedge. Lately, the G-Army was filled with a lot of backbiting and politics, with officers docking the pay of those of a lower rank for the slightest infringement, perceived or otherwise. It was partly due to Deling's own administrative style, which supported cronies and punished dissidents with, at best, fiscal penalties. Wedge was probably competent enough without the pressure such an environment placed on him.

The gates opened, and a tall man with dark, albeit greying hair framing a hard, lined, but handsome face. His dark eyes were already roving over Squall and Lamia, not looking at his daughter, until he had finished his assessment. He finally turned his attention to Rinoa, and sighed quietly. "You cannot just drop in for a simple hello, can you?" he asked his daughter. "You had to bring in a SeeD cadet and one of the key members of the Strangling Figs."

"Nice to see you too, father," Rinoa said in a sardonic lilt. "I would have come without Lamia, but she insisted on coming along. I looked at her memories. She happened to spot us as we left the station, and was tailing us to see if she could ambush me and imitate me to infiltrate here."

After a moment, Caraway sighed again. "Bring her with us. I have a cell for intruders that has seen too much use. Once we're done, I'll send her to get a hearing."

"I Drew her shape-shifting spells along the way," Rinoa said. "She won't be using them any time soon."

"I'm surprised you haven't considered your daughter to be Lamia in disguise," Squall said.

Caraway looked at the young SeeD. "I know my own daughter better than Lamia could. And she gave to Officer Cadet Wedge the password that I had in place when she first left. Come along…"

* * *

Squall waited in the opulent room as Rinoa briefed Caraway on the situation, as well as telling what she had gleaned of the Strangling Fig's plans from Lamia's mind. Caraway pinched the bridge of his nose when Rinoa had finished. "So they're considering using the Sorceress, this Jessie, to try and gain control over the Missile Bases?"

"And wipe out Deling City. As much as I'd like to see Deling's regime overthrown, wiping this city off the map isn't the way to go about it. I mean, there are innocent people…theoretically," Rinoa said.

"People wanting vengeance do extreme things," Caraway said. "Mateus, the leader of the Strangling Figs, wants revenge on Galbadia for the deaths of his parents. Should he succeed, then some power or other would turn on him, if only because he has a powerful Sorceress enslaved to him. Probably the Dollet Dukedom. They're the only power on this continent with a substantial military. Of course, that's nothing if Esthar gets involved, though that's highly unlikely given their isolationist stance. It's only if Esthar is directly threatened, I think, that they'll get involved." He crossed his arms. "So, what do you want out of me?"

"Support more than anything else. Thanks to Lamia, as well as the intelligence from Minwu, we know how many of them there are. Thankfully, the Figs are a relatively small group, even if they are dangerous. I'm in this to rescue Jessie and bring her back to Timber, or else find a new guardian for her, given what happened to her mother. Once I'm done with the Strangling Figs, you can do what you like with them, as long as it's by the book. No Deling-style summary justice, no secret hearings. I don't care if they end up in D-District Prison, or shot, as long as there's a public trial."

"And what about your involvement?"

"I'm using SeeD to rescue a kidnapping victim and bring the perpetrators to justice. That should cover it, as Garden has quite a bit of sway. Some of the resistance groups in Timber might not think much of me for doing this, but they know that the Strangling Figs have gone too far."

Caraway nodded, before looking over at Squall. "Do you have a position on this, Leonhart?"

"I am bound to my current client. That being said, I personally find what the Figs did, and intend to do, reprehensible."

"Even though you are helping the G-Army? I know we are not popular with the rest of the world, and with good reason."

"Even so, I will still complete the mission. There's a difference between freedom fighting and mass murder," Squall said. "A distinction the Strangling Figs will doubtless object to."

Caraway nodded. "And as a SeeD, a mercenary, personal feelings have to be set aside, especially those of a nationalistic nature. Though I'm surprised that my daughter has assented to working with you, Leonhart. From a young age, she has had a surprisingly strong animosity for Garden and SeeD."

"Times change," Rinoa said with a scowl. "I'll tell you the details later. Once we capture the members of the Strangling Figs, how do we notify you?"

"Once you have secured them, send up a flare. I will give you a flare pistol and rounds. I will send people to wait at a discreet distance."

"Got it." Rinoa looked at Squall. "Are you ready to begin the operation?"

"Of course…"

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Sorry about the long wait. For a time, it looked like I was going to abandon this story, as I really had no idea how to write this chapter. Writing in Lamia helped. Hope you enjoyed, but don't expect a new chapter any time soon.**

 **Now, why is Wedge, despite being an officer, on guard duty at the Caraway Mansion? Well, he's given a lot of flack in the game by Biggs (Wedge is ranked as a lieutenant in the game), so I thought Caraway would have him assigned to his mansion as 'punishment' for his screw-ups, but in reality, is actually mentoring Wedge on how to be an officer…with mixed success, given the G-Army's working culture.**

 **1\. Gerogero, of course, is the undead creature masquerading as Deling in the game during the train hijacking.**


	7. Knight and Sorceress Reborn Chapter 1

**Well, this is something of an oddity. This was an idea originally derived from my pure _Final Fantasy VIII_ fic, _La Vita Nuova_ (and eagle-eyed readers will note that I copied and pasted a lot from that story, along with _Anchor of Ultimecia_ ). What happened was that long-time reader DalkonCledwin wanted to do their own take on the story, but after they couldn't get it going, they formulated a challenge which, with their permission, I posted on DZ2 and whitetigerwolf's challenge forums.**

 **I decided to try my hand at the challenge because I wanted to try my hand at doing a Haphne (Harry Potter/Daphne Greengrass) fic. Let's face it, Daphne Greengrass is one of those background characters in the series ripe for development, and while I prefer doing Harmony or Luna-shipping (or Lunar Harmony), I'm not averse to trying new things if it interests me. Doing a pure Potterverse fic with Haphne didn't appeal to me, frankly. But I eventually decided to give the challenge a go. In a way, it's revisiting one of my old, abandoned stories, and giving it new life.**

 **Incidentally, I am posting this in both _The Cauldron_ and my _Final Fantasy_ fic compilation _Final Fantasy Files_. Have fun...**

* * *

 _ **KNIGHT AND SORCERESS REBORN**_

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 **REBORN**

Ultimecia had never had the luxury of a proper childhood. SeeD's persecution murdered her childhood as effectively as they wished to murder her. They had embarked on their pogroms with little heed to what pain they caused others. They had even robbed her of her first and only Knight, Ramza(1).

Which was why Ultimecia was embarking on the beginnings of an audacious plan. To compress time, bring the power of all Sorceresses in history into herself, along with all of time and space, and rule as a Goddess over all creation, denying existence to all who would do her harm. Which, to her mind, meant all of humanity in general, and SeeD in particular. She didn't care whether she was Goddess over an empty and small universe, as long as she didn't have to feel pain anymore. As long as she had the power to decide her own fate.

As part of her plan, she had obtained a Junction Machine Ellone device, a device that could send her consciousness back in time. Amongst other things, she needed to find the very girl that the machine was named for, the girl who possessed the same powers, who would be key to her plan.

Ultimecia never considered the fact that her plan, borne out of hurt and desperation that twisted her heart and soul into the most extreme misanthropy, would in fact perpetuate a cycle that would bring the very persecution she attempted to halt into existence. She would have dismissed the possibility out of hand: it was not she who was the author of her own persecution, but the SeeDs.

In a perverse way, though she would never know it, she was right. Memories and well-meant warnings about Ultimecia twisted and distorted, and along with it, the mission and ethos of SeeD. The well-intentioned dream of Cid and Edea Kramer, embodied by Squall Leonhart and his friends, was twisted into fanatical hatred. The Kramers, Leonhart, and his friends were all but deified, and Sorceresses, save for Edea and Rinoa, were demonised. The creed of SeeD became like a religion, and not of a kind and moral sort, but of fanaticism and blinkeredness and hatred, determined to stop Ultimecia from emerging by any means necessary. It took centuries to happen, but it still did.

Once, Ultimecia loathed her powers. Now, she embraced them. And why shouldn't she? Power was all she had left. Not love, not friendship, and not acceptance. All of those had been dangled in front of her, and torn ruthlessly away.

Ultimecia took the Junction Machine Ellone into her art gallery. It was a risk, given that SeeDs tried daily to infiltrate her castle and murder her. But she wanted to be surrounded by her beloved artwork, and trusted to her monstrous minion Trauma to protect her if she was attacked.

Sadly, it was a mistake. As she used the machine to project her consciousness centuries into the past, looking for potential candidates to control, SeeD mercenaries broke in. Trauma fought valiantly, but was unable to save his mistress when one SeeD managed to shoot her, while her consciousness was still in the past.

As Ultimecia slumped, blood drooling from her mouth, her chest a crimson ruin that matched her habitual crimson robe, cries of elation erupted from the SeeDs, and a cry of woe erupted from Trauma. Sorceress Ultimecia was dead! The world, past and present, was safe!

That may have been true, save for the fact that killing someone while their consciousness was junctioned to someone in the past had unforeseen consequences. At the time, Ultimecia was searching for Edea Kramer, whom she thought was uniquely placed to start her plan. However, the bullets that had robbed her of her life had also hit the machine. Her consciousness was sent not back or forth in time…but sideways.

But as Ultimecia was torn away from her body, screaming as she was sucked into a foetus, she never knew she was going to get a chance the child, and herself, never got. A childhood. A gift of immeasurable value.

She didn't know it, but fate would conspire to give her an even greater gift: her lover and knight would be reborn too. And they would be brought together once more…

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was a strange child, to say the least. When she was born, Lord Cyrus Greengrass almost immediately demanded a paternity test. He had believed his wife to have had an affair, and even when the paternity test came up in his favour (that is, he was indisputably the father of Daphne), their relationship was strained for some months afterwards, not helped by the demands of parenthood.

Of course, it wasn't without reason that he had such suspicion. His daughter had been born with silvery hair, far more different than the blonde of his lineage. And her eyes had a distinctive baleful ring of gold around the pupil, in the centre of pale blue irises. After several more paternity tests, and the doctors putting the strange features to a random mutation, Cyrus Greengrass reluctantly accepted the girl as his own.

Daphne was often a quiet, pensive, even sullen child. Not actually spoilt, but she seemed preoccupied at times, and sometimes lost her temper at the oddest of stimuli. That being said, she seemed at her happiest around her mother, as well as at play. She liked going to the theatre and to operas and to art galleries, and she seemed to love that. And her parents did try to indulge her. Not so often as to spoil her. Oddly enough, she didn't actually throw that many temper tantrums when she didn't get her own way, and even bore some refusals with a sort of adult resignation. It was merely some pet peeves that ignited her temper, not a lack of indulgence.

She also seemed obsessed with horology, even having a minor hobby collecting clocks and watches. It was as if she was obsessed with time, making sure she could use it to her own advantage. Punctuality certainly was something she was obsessed with, as if she wanted every second to count.

And then, there were the nightmares. Nightmares that sometimes had her bolt upright in bed, screaming. Nightmares she refused to speak of.

And then, after third year, Daphne had come back changed. Whether it was for better or for worse, few could tell…

* * *

 _The girl ran through the rain, trying not to slip on the slick ground. Tears ran from her eyes, mingling with the rain, the irises a baleful gold, showing hurt and betrayal and anger and fear. Long silver hair framed her face, which had strange markings not unlike tattoos. Yet despite the oddities of her appearance, she was actually quite beautiful, though she was clearly in her mid-teens. Her black jacket over a red shirt and jeans was the only thing keeping the rain off her form, and it wasn't doing it very well. Her hands had talon-like nails, and her feet, exposed to the elements, were bestial paws. A pair of black feathered wings protruded from her back, sodden in the weather._

 _She had just been betrayed by her best friend, or rather, someone she had thought a best friend. Her second Knight, who had come after her first, Ramza, had been murdered by SeeD. But Delita turned out to be a SeeD agent in disguise._

 _Suddenly, a burning pain in her leg, followed shortly thereafter by the report of a gun. The girl screamed in agony as she fell, skidding to a halt, her face scraping painfully along the ground. With a whimper of pain, she rolled onto her back, and gathered her concentration to heal the bullet wound in her leg. It was hard to do: something in the bullet was sapping her magic, but she barely managed to heal the wound._

 _But even as she did so, someone, followed by a dozen others, appeared, surrounding her. Standing over her was Delita, looking down at her with a contemptuous sneer. His handsome face was marred by the utter disdain on his face. "Well, looky here. We finally have the Sorceress right where we want her."_

 _"Delita…" the Sorceress moaned. "Why? I…trusted you."_

 _"Then it only goes to show you were a stupid little bitch!" Delita sneered. "Then again, you were on the rebound after I iced Ramza. Oh yes, that was me." He petted the long, phallic-substitute rifle he was holding like it was an animal. "The ultimate in anti-Sorceress weaponry, courtesy of the Odine Corporation. That's why your filthy Sorceress powers aren't working. That's why I'm better than that fame-hungry shit Leonhart! I don't have a famous name to fall back on like that attention-seeking brat! But I have brains, and I have the guts to do what is necessary!"_

 _"But what have I done wrong?!" the Sorceress demanded. "What in Hyne's name have I done to deserve this? Everyone speaks of a Sorceress from the future, but what does that have to do with me?"_

 _"Sorceresses are an abomination upon the world anyway, the last remnants of an evil and twisted god," Delita spat. "Besides, you match the description of the Sorceress we must destroy. You even have a twisted version of her name…don't you, Artemisia_ _3_ _? But I know you are truly Ultimecia. For the future, and for the past, you must die!"_

 _Artemisia, for that was the name her mother gave her, before SeeD slaughtered her family, glared. "Curse you all," she snarled. "I will NOT die here today!" Calling upon as much of her power as she could, she sent them flying. But even as they sprawled on the ground, she knew that it may not be enough._

Please…if the Great Hyne, or any deity watching from above has any inkling of mercy…please…I need help. Send me a Knight, a new Knight, a true Knight _… She prayed with all her might, not knowing if it would be answered._

 _But nobody came…_

* * *

Daphne sat bolt upright, struggling not to scream. She had tried to avoid doing that whenever she had the nightmares, of being a Sorceress named Ultimecia, pursued by SeeD just for existing. But sometimes, despite her attempts to stop doing so for her family's sake (or her dorm-mates, whenever she was at Hogwarts), she couldn't help it. She had gotten around this by using a special ward to muffle noises around her bed.

The teenager shook the last remnants of the nightmare from her mind. It felt too real to be merely a nightmare, but even so, that's what it remained. No belligerent SeeDs stood around her bed, ready to skewer her, burn her to ashes and salt her remains.

Then, she remembered. It was no nightmare. It was a memory.

The first time Daphne became aware that her nightmares were memories were when those damned Dementors were posted around Hogwarts, thanks to that moron Fudge overreacting to Sirius Black's escape. After all, the Dementors only fed on worst memories, not nightmares. Boggarts fed on worst fears, ridiculous or not.

That being said, it wasn't until the holidays after her third year that Daphne came to an epiphany about those memories. And that was because she had begun to discover powers. Powers beyond that of another wizard or witch. True, the ability to pluck any memory she chose from someone's mind could have been an unusually powerful talent of Legilimency. But the ability to slow, or even stop, time? And with ridiculous ease? Well, that was NOT a normal talent. And yet, Ultimecia had it. And so too did Daphne.

What was more, she began to be able to use spells beyond those known in Magical Britain, or indeed anywhere on Earth. Mostly offensive spells, but there were healing spells as well. From the simplest Fire spell all the way up to Apocalypse. She could use them all.

But for what?

Daphne was still pondering this as she got up from her bed. Her father had obtained tickets to the Quidditch World Cup, and had insisted on bringing her along. Quidditch bored her. But she was obligated to make appearances with her father at certain public gatherings. All for the sake of appearances.

Daphne sighed quietly as she went to have a shower and get dressed. She needed a Knight, soon, she knew. A Knight acted to protect a Sorceress from all dangers. Even if, ultimately, she herself is that very danger, if she ever succumbed to evil, so the Knight must end her life. Frequently, they were consorts and lovers. In times of yore, the life of a Knight was seen as a glamorous, even romantic one. But in her time back on her old world, thanks to the accursed SeeDs, Knights were seen as traitors to humanity.

But even as she vowed never to try and find a Knight, not after Delita's treachery, part of her now yearned for it. Though it would be too much to hope for another Ramza.

" _You never know_."

The voice was deep and resonant. Daphne resisted the urge to jump in the air, but she whirled upon the source of the voice, thankful she had finished dressing. There was a man standing in the corner of her bedroom, tall, thin, with dark hair and piercing ice-blue eyes. "Who are you?" she demanded. "How did you get here?!"

" _Come now, Daphne Greengrass…or should I say, Artemisia? While it is somewhat much to expect you to know who I am on sight…you are one of my descendants. I am Hyne._ "

Daphne blinked in astonishment. "Hyne?"

" _Indeed. The progenitor of Sorceresses_ ," the man claiming to be Hyne said. " _The people of your world, Mondas, wondered where I went. Admittedly, the legends that sprang up around me after my disappearance were…false. While I am a deity, I am not a creator deity. However, I was nearly forced to give some of my power to humanity. I merely gave it to the Sorceresses…and what a mess I made when it all went wrong._ " Hyne sighed quietly. " _In a way, your departure from Mondas was for the best. The time loop you and the SeeDs were caught up in has been broken. No longer will the Sorceresses of Mondas be persecuted, not to the degree that they were._ "

"Am I supposed to be glad about that?" Daphne asked sharply.

" _I suppose not, my descendant. But when I saw what happened, of your being pulled into this world…I made an intercession with the goddess of death, to grant you a boon. Your Knight, your first, true Knight, has been reborn on this world._ "

Now, that was something of a shock. Ramza had been reborn? She couldn't dare hope that it was true. "And how can I find him?" she asked archly.

Hyne smiled thinly. " _You'll see him soon enough. In a way, he has been right under your nose for a long time. The Dementors also unlocked his memories, memories he is only now coming to terms with._ "

"Don't be coy! For all I know, you are merely a hallucination of my mind, engaged in wishful thinking! Tell me his name."

She half-expected Hyne to rail against her, or something along those lines. She never expected tenebrous rumbles of amusement. " _As you wish. But you will find it somewhat unbelievable._ "

"I don't care. What is his name?"

Hyne smirked. And then he declared an impossible name, a name that shouldn't have been the reincarnation of her beloved Ramza. And yet, when she came to think of it later, it was so obvious in hindsight. It couldn't have been anyone else. But now, she couldn't believe the four syllables Hyne spoke. Syllables that would turn her world, and that of Magical Britain, upside down.

" _Harry Potter._ "

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, there's a turn-up for the books, isn't it?**

 **Now, a lot of this chapter, as some eagle-eyed readers will have noted, has been copied and pasted from** ** _La Vita Nuova_** **, along with an extract from** ** _Anchor of Ultimecia_** **. Many of the concepts I am using in this story have been recycled from those two stories, along with my other Potterverse crossovers with** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **:** ** _Ultimecia's Knight_** **, and** ** _Mnemosyne's Son_** **. Mondas is my fanon name for the world of** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **(a naughty little nod to the Cybermen's original homeworld from** ** _Doctor Who_** **, and a derivation of mundas, a Latin name for the world), and we'll see more as the fic goes by.**

 **Incidentally, Hyne's appearance and voice is based on Benedict Cumberbatch's.**

 **1\. Ramza (and later in the chapter, Delita) were named for the characters from** ** _Final Fantasy Tactics_** **. I used those names for** ** _Anchor of Ultimecia_** **.**


	8. Esper Reborn Chapter 1

**So, I have recently started on _Fairy Tail_ , and I thought of doing a story like this. I have to admit, this was somewhat inspired by _Lucy the King of Heroes_ by Gilgamesh The King of Heroes, where Lucy is a reincarnation of Gilgamesh from _Fate/Stay Night_. Whether this becomes a full fic or not, I don't know, but it could. Anyway, this story is basically Terra being reborn as Lucy.  
**

* * *

 _ **ESPER REBORN**_

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 **SALAMANDER, SLAVER, AND CELESTIAL MAGE**

The blonde-haired girl with the green streak in it walked out of the shop with an irritated sigh. For a port town, a place where at least some import and export took place, the magic shop of Hargeon had pretty much crap that she had already bought. And the one thing she had some interest in, she didn't need. Hell, the shopkeeper would only go down to 1000 Jewels, and that was only, with some reluctance, after she gave him a brief, 'accidental' view down her cleavage. She only bought it to keep up appearances.

A commotion drew her attention. A bunch of screaming girls were rushing around, not in a panic, but clearly smitten. The girl frowned when she caught snatches of sentences. Apparently someone called 'Salamander the Fire Dragon', a prodigious fire mage, was in town. It was more curiosity than anything else that led the girl to follow her peers, although she used the term 'peer' loosely.

After all, she doubted any of them had lived before, or at least had another life, on another world.

In this life, she was Lucy Heartfilia, recently having fled her family home thanks to the actions of her father. But not long after her mother died, Lucy regained memories of a life that had gone by, a life on another world. A life where she had been known by the name of Terra Branford. Or rather, she had been half of Terra, the half that was magic, the half that was Esper.

She hadn't had much of a childhood in that life, so she supposed she was grateful to her father treating her better than Gestahl and his underlings did. True, she was treated well in her quarters in Vector, but it hadn't taken long for Terra to realise she was a songbird in a cage, valued more for her magic than for her own worth as a person. The brainwashing in her teens, Kefka cornering her with a Slave Crown…and then, being freed from it.

All those adventures with all those people. The love she had given the orphaned children in Mobliz. The quest to destroy Kefka, and with it, rid magic from the world. Which would mean her own end. A small price to pay, or so she thought.

In the last moments of magic being in the world, Terra was bifurcated. What there was of her human became her own person in the world she left behind, while her Esper half…well, she expected to join her father and the other Espers in whatever afterlife remained…only for her to be wrenched sideways. Even now, she wasn't sure what had happened. And while she had no command of the Espers anymore, she still retained her magical knowledge from that time. And as Lucy, she also had command over this world's equivalent of Espers: the Celestial Spirits, embodiments of the constellations.

Her ambitions were to join the Fairy Tail guild. Okay, they had something of a reputation for wanton property damage, but still, there were many admirable mages in it. Mirajane Strauss was the one Lucy admired most.

As Lucy approached the crowd, though, she felt a familiar pull on her senses, trying to cloud them, and she frowned. A charm spell? Banned ages ago, and yet, this man was using it. True, he was quite handsome, she had to admit, but given all the attractive girls and women he was luring in with the charm spell…well, with looks and smooth talking like this, he wouldn't need a charm spell to get a crowd. No, something was wrong.

Just as she was about to cast an Esuna on the crowd, she was knocked out of the way by a boy a little older than her with messy pink hair, calling for someone called Igneel. Was that the real name of this 'Salamander'? But the boy seemed to think otherwise once he actually saw Salamander. Lucy watched with some amusement as the boy got badmouthed and attacked by the girls and women for his rather tactless words, like refusing an autograph, before Salamander, being magnanimous, gave some kind words to the boy, before declaring a party on his yacht that they were all invited to.

As he soared away on a plume of fire (very impressive fire magic, Lucy had to admit), the boy glared at the Salamander sullenly, along with a blue, talking cat that had accompanied him. "What's his problem?" the boy asked.

"I don't know, but something smells fishy," Lucy said, casting an Esuna on the now-dispersing crowd, just in case. "You noticed that, right?"

The odd pair nodded, only for their stomachs to growl. Lucy realised they looked rather like they had been travelling for a while, and said, on a whim, "You want lunch?"

* * *

That was a decision she'd regret. The boy had the manners of a pig, and the cat wasn't that much better. Their names turned out to be Natsu and Happy respectively. "I'm Lucy," Lucy introduced herself. "You noticed something fishy, right? I mean, apart from what you're eating," she added dryly, looking at Happy. "That sort of charm magic was banned ages ago. Are you a wizard too?"

Natsu nodded in mid-chew.

"Well, I am too, but I'm hoping to get into one of the guilds, hopefully Fairy Tail." She didn't fail to notice the odd look in their eyes when she mentioned that. Were they members of that guild, or rivals, or what? She couldn't tell. "Anyway, you mentioned someone called Igneel, right?"

"Aye, Igneel," Happy said as Natsu finished his own meal.

"We heard there was a Salamander in town, but it turned out to be someone else," Natsu said. "And I was sure it'd be Igneel."

"As soon as we saw him, we knew," Happy said.

"How could you tell?"

"He's a dragon," Natsu said.

Lucy looked at Natsu flatly. "A dragon. A real dragon."

"Well, yeah," Natsu said.

After a moment, Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. As patient as she was as Terra, her life as Lucy had given her a certain sardonic edge. "Leaving aside the fact that few people have seen dragons for centuries, did you ever think that a real dragon would be somewhat conspicuous in the middle of a town? Even if he hadn't knocked down the buildings or set them on fire, he would stand out."

She had to admit, she wasn't encouraged by the looks of surprised revelation on their faces. They hadn't even considered the possibility. "I mean, he can't shape shift or anything, can he?" Lucy asked.

"Um, no," Natsu said, as if _she_ was the idiot here.

"Fine. So…you're a wizard as well. Can I ask for your help? Only, something about that guy claiming to be 'Salamander' has got me worried. He's using charm magic to lure girls and young women, and to a yacht. Does that sound at all suspicious?"

Natsu, after a moment, nodded. "I guess so. But, well…I don't do boats well."

"Natsu gets motion sickness pretty easily. Boats, trains, cars, you name it, he gets sick on it," Happy explained.

Just before Lucy could say anything else, they overheard a nearby woman remarking, "Did you hear about Salamander?"

"Yeah, he's dreamy. That party he's got on, are you going?"

"Of course! It'd be great to meet a Fairy Tail wizard!"

Lucy blinked in astonishment. "Wait, he was from Fairy Tail?" Had she missed her chance to join?

"…No."

Lucy returned her gaze to Natsu, whose expression had become deathly serious. "What?"

"I dunno whether Master Makarov has allowed him in there while I was dealing with the Devon Bandit Clan, but I haven't seen him in Fairy Tail before in my life."

Lucy frowned as she put the pieces together. "You're a member of Fairy Tail?"

Natsu nodded, before shucking off his coat, revealing the vest he wore underneath and baring his arms. And there, on his right shoulder, was a distinctive mark, like a stylised bird. Lucy recognised it as the Guild Mark, a form of magical tattoo. Lucy wasn't sure what to make of that. On the one hand, Natsu hadn't exactly shown off any real abilities so far, not to mention social graces. On the other hand…Fairy Tail was known for their overkill, and she had recently read about their actions against the Devon Bandit Clan…where they had demolished seven homes in the process. "You were the one that got rid of the Devon Bandit Clan…and wrecked those homes?"

"Yeah, well…that was sort of an accident," Natsu said with a rather superficial look of…well, couldn't be said to be sheepishness, more of a kind of amused contrition that was absent of any real guilt. Then, his expression became serious again. "Anyway, listen, if this guy Salamander claims to be a Fairy Tail wizard, and he's doing this crap, then I'm not gonna stand for it."

"Well, I have an idea…"

* * *

Which was to have Lucy approach Salamander's boat and ask him if he could get her into Fairy Tail, while Natsu did the same (thankfully keeping his coat on). 'Salamander' accepted this, though he didn't seem to want Natsu on, despite his earlier magnanimity towards Natsu. Of course, once they were underway, Natsu soon succumbed to motion sickness, and Lucy, wearing a nice formal dress, was escorted further into the ship. Happy vowed to keep an eye on Natsu.

Of course, once he started trying to feed her wine via magic, she knew she had him. She swatted the drops of wine away. As he stared at her, dumbfounded, she said, "Sedatives in wine. Classy. I was onto your game almost from the beginning. At best, you're desperate for a harem. But at worst…you're a slaver."

The handsome man's face twisted into a sneer. "Clever little bitch, aren't you? Except…not so clever, really. I mean, here you are, trapped on the boat while it's already out to sea." Suddenly, Lucy felt her arms grabbed by a pair of burly thugs who had appeared from behind a curtained area behind her. "You'll fetch a high price in Bosco when we make landfall, along with those other little bitches. As for that pink-haired idiot, well, he'll be sleeping with the fishes once I'm done with him. I may not be Fairy Tail, but I'm still one of the best Fire Mages in all of Earthland."

She knew that her smirk would make him unnerved when he saw it. She had deliberately copied one of Kefka's more subtle smirks. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," 'Salamander' smirked back, before reaching under her dress and fetching the keyring she had on her garter. "What, you getting cocky because you thought you had these as a trump-card? Celestial Wizards may be powerful…but only when they have their Gate Keys. So…" He threw them out the window. "No use to me. And now, they're no use to you."

Lucy chuckled, and now 'Salamander' looked unnerved. "And what's so funny?"

"Your mistake, impostor, is thinking that I need the Gate Keys to defend myself at all." Then, she yelled, "THUNDARA!"

The thugs holding her were suddenly struck by bolts of lightning, and collapsed, juddering and convulsing. "BLIZZARA!" she yelled, and the remainder of the thugs behind her were encased in ice. "DEMI!" she yelled, and 'Salamander' was slammed to the floor by an orb of dark energy. Then, as a final gesture, she charged her power, and yelled, "ESUNA!" A wave of pure white energy washed out from her.

'Salamander' glared up at her from the floor. "And what the hell was that?"

"Esuna is a powerful restorative magic. It can purge most poisons, remove curses…and clears the mind. Which means that your victims are now free from your charm magic."

"So? We're still out on the water, you stupid bitch, and you haven't stopped all of my crew. And that stupid pink-haired kid isn't going to save you!"

Lucy smirked again, before running out the door. As she ran, she called out mentally, _Aquarius? Sorry to bother you, I know you've got that vacation with Scorpio soon, but I need your help right now!_

A quiet sigh of annoyance entered her mind. _Typical_ , came the irritated voice of Aquarius. _Very well, what do you need?_

 _A slaver tried to enslave me and a whole boatful of women. He's claiming to be from Fairy Tail. We're on a boat sailing out of Hargeon, and he's dropped my Gate Keys overboard. When I summon you, could you send the boat back with your wave with a minimum of collateral damage, and bring my Gate Keys back, please?_

Another annoyed sigh. _Very well, but remember, while I'm on vacation, don't call me._

 _I'll try. I don't want to get between you two_.

A faint chuckle. _You'd better not, little sister. And try not to lose my key ever again, even if you don't need it to summon me_.

Lucy nodded. Of the Celestial Spirits she had contracted to her, she got along least well with Aquarius, though at least Aquarius saw her as an annoying little sister at worst, hence her epithet.

Soon, she burst onto the deck of 'Salamander's ship, with Natsu half-leaning over the rail, looking queasy. The women around her were panicking. Happy looked at Lucy from where he was perched near Natsu. "What's going on?"

"They're slavers all right! I'm surprised my Esuna didn't help Natsu. Must be too-ingrained. Anyway, watch this." Lucy held out her hand to the ocean. "I COMMAND THE GATE OF THE WATER-BEARER TO OPEN! COME TO ME, AQUARIUS!"

A blast of light lanced out of the ocean, before finally, a beautiful, blue-haired mermaid, bearing a jar of water, emerged from the waves. She looked at Lucy with a stern expression, but nodded. Lucy looked at Happy and the girls nearby. "HANG ON!" she yelled, as Aquarius summoned up a massive wave that sent the boat careening at high speed towards the shore.

As Lucy got to her feet, Aquarius came up, and threw the keys at her. Lucy caught them, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Aquarius. Enjoy your vacation."

Aquarius offered a sardonic smirk as she faded. "Try to keep out of trouble, little sister. Oh wait, that's not going to happen…"

Natsu got to his feet just as Aquarius disappeared. "Ugh…we're not moving anymore?"

"Yeah, and with this boat on the shore, it's sure to get the attention of the local army," Lucy said. "We'd just better make sure these girls get off safely."

"Hold it!" roared the voice of 'Salamander', who burst out, followed by some thugs. "You're going nowhere."

"Funny," Natsu said. "I could say the same thing about you. You're not with Fairy Tail, are you?" He took off his coat, revealing his mark.

"Bora!" yelled one of 'Salamander's thugs. "That's the real mark!"

"I told you not to call me my real name, you idiot!" 'Salamander' said.

"Bora…" Happy mused. "Bora the Prominence was a fire mage expelled from the Titan Nose guild a few years back…"

"Yeah, I heard," Lucy said, glaring at Bora, who matched her glare. "You were expelled for using magic for theft so many times, weren't you? From theft to human trafficking. You've fallen far."

"I don't care," Natsu said, glaring at Bora himself. "But one thing I won't let him do is slander the name of Fairy Tail."

Bora flung a fire spell at them, and Lucy and Happy dived out of the way. "Less talking, more burning, brat!" he roared, only to be flung into the wall by Lucy's Thundara spell.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled at the pyre enveloping the true Fairy Tail wizard, only for Happy to shoot her a look.

Then, from the midst of the flames, Lucy heard Natsu's voice, not in pain, though in annoyance and disgust. "Ugh, this is gross." As the others stared in shock, the fire shrank, revealing Natsu seemingly eating the flames. "Seriously, are you really a fire mage? Only, this is the worst fire I've ever tried. But thanks for the grub anyway."

Lucy stared. Did he eat the fire? But…would that mean he had the innate ability to absorb fire? She hadn't really heard of it happening on this world. "What the hell is he?!" Bora demanded.

"Boss! I know this guy now!" one of Bora's underlings yelled. "Pink hair, scarf with a scale pattern…that's the real Salamander!"

And with that, Natsu breathed a massive gout of flame onto the slavers, before enveloping his fist in fire, glaring at Bora. "Etch this in your memory, you bastard! This is the true might of a wizard from FAIRY TAIL!" And with that, he slammed his fist into Bora, sending the now-hapless slaver through the wall of the ship.

"What kind of magic is that?" Lucy asked Happy in awe.

"Dragon-Slayer magic. He has the lungs of a dragon to breathe fire, the skin of a dragon to withstand fire, and the claws of a dragon to inflict fire. It was meant as a magic to be used against them," Happy said. "That's what Igneel has taught Natsu."

"A bit weird for a dragon to teach a human magic meant to kill them," Lucy said, noting the surprised look on Happy's face. "But look at him now. He's a berserker."

And so he was, causing a number of buildings near the harbour to be wrecked as he beat the crap out of Bora. Eventually, he finished, only for the army to charge in. Natsu, having grown relatively calm again, grabbed Lucy's hand. "Let's get out of here! If you want to join Fairy Tail, then come along!"

Lucy ran, pursuing Natsu and Happy as the army did so, heading for the train station, and then for Magnolia. It seemed that luck was on her side…but would she regret her decision to join Fairy Tail?

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. Lucy is Terra, and has command of the entire (standard) magic of** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **. And she can summon Celestial Spirits without keys. But what about her fellow Espers? And will she regret going with Natsu? Well, all will be revealed later…**

 **No numbered annotations this time…**


	9. Esper Reborn Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **FAIRY TAIL**

Lucy looked at the façade of the Fairy Tail guild, a smile touching her lips. She was here, she was finally here. The massive, tiered building awaited her. Natsu and Happy seemed confident she could join, so she went along with it.

She soon entered, and as Natsu roared a greeting, Lucy immediately noticed, acting as a waitress, what had to be Mirajane Strauss. Natsu stormed over and punched one of the men greeting him, berating the man for giving him faulty information on Igneel's whereabouts. Which began something of a brawl.

It was hard for her to believe that she was here in Fairy Tail, at long last. Here she was, on the cusp of fulfilling her lifelong dream, and…

"Is Natsu back?!" yelled a dark-haired young man, wearing nothing but his boxers. "Okay, this time, we're going to finish it!"

"Gray, your clothes are AWOL. _Again_ ," said a woman sitting on a nearby table, wearing little more than trousers and a bra. As Gray realised and fled in shock, the woman sighed. "And this is why they say the men here have no class." She then took an entire barrel of what had to be alcohol and began guzzling it down.

A man Lucy recognised as Mirajane's brother, Elfman, went into the fray, only to be sent flying by Gray and Natsu. And then, Lucy saw a handsome young man with brownish-orange hair, wearing tinted glasses and wearing a jacket. She recognised him instantly as Loke, ranked as one of the top eligible wizarding bachelors by Weekly Sorcerer Magazine. He was flirting with a pair of women he had his arms draped around, but Lucy realised she could sense something from him, something she could only sense in person.

 _He's a Celestial Spirit_ , she thought. _And a high-ranking one too. I'd need a Golden Gate Key to get him, but…oh._ _ **Oh**_ _. Well, at least I know where he is now. I'll have to tell Aries. And I'll have to find a way to tell him that I've persuaded the Celestial King to allow him back into the fold_.

"I'm sorry, are you new here?"

The voice interrupted Lucy's thoughts, and she whirled to face Mirajane, who was smiling at her welcomingly. Resisting the urge to fangirl out, Lucy returned her smile, a little shakily, and nodded. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. And you must be Mirajane Strauss. I admire your standing as a mage."

"Why, thank you," Mirajane said, though there was a faint lugubrious look to her eyes when Lucy said that.

Lucy indicated the brawl. "Should we stop them?"

"Oh, it happens all the time. It's best to let them get it out of their system. Besides…" Whatever Mirajane was going to say was interrupted when a bottle smashed into her head.

Lucy was on her, and cast a Cure on her. Mirajane blinked, before she said, "That's kind of you. But don't worry, I've been hit worse during one of these. Anyway, as I was saying, it's more fun to let this run its course."

"Scary, more like," Lucy said, before she dodged away from Gray, now completely naked, flying into a nearby table, Natsu triumphantly waving Gray's boxers in the air.

"Dammit!" Gray snapped, before turning sheepishly to Lucy. "Could you lend me your underpants?"

Lucy looked askance at him. "How about no?"

Loke then came along and gently escorted Lucy away. "How appalling, the indelicacy of such men? By the way, are you a model? You look like one?"

Just as it looked like half the guild were going to start using their magic, probably levelling the entire building, Lucy sighed in irritation, before she flung up her hands. "STOP!" Most of the belligerents suddenly froze in place thanks to the spell.

Loke and Mirajane, who weren't targeted, stared at Lucy, who smiled. "It's easy to win arguments this way, don't you think?"

" _Impressive. Most impressive._ "

Lucy whirled at the deep voice, and was surprised to find, somehow, a massive, hulking form over them, looking intimidating as hell. Before she could do more than freeze in place, the hulking form shrank, until it became a diminutive old man, dressed not unlike a jester. "A new face, hmm? It's good to meet you. I'm Makarov, the Master of Fairy Tail. I've heard about the assistance you rendered to Natsu capturing Bora the Prominence. And that was like no magic I have seen before. I was going to scare them into stopping their fight, but it seems that you have your own means of doing so. Would you kindly restore them?"

"Okay. Dispel." She waved a hand, and as the fight threatened to begin anew, Makarov cleared his throat pointedly. With everyone's attention on him, Makarov leapt up onto the balcony overlooking the area. His showmanship was spoiled a little when he hit the railing somewhat painfully, but he rallied admirably.

"You idiots are at it, _again!_ I've received more and more complaints from the Council! Gray! While your work in dealing with those smugglers was superlative, you were found stumbling around the town naked, resorting to stealing clothes from someone's clothesline. Elfman! Next time you're a bodyguard for a VIP, try not to attack him, even if he does insult your intelligence! Cana!" This was the woman drinking from the barrel earlier. "I think drinking fifteen full kegs of liquor at a certain tavern, is bad enough, but falsely claiming it as expenses and sending the bill to the Council is not going to cut it anymore!"

"So they found out?" Cara asked quietly.

"Loke," Makarov continued. "What possessed you to seduce Rage's granddaughter? He's a senior member of the Council. And that's without the damages bill a certain talent agency sent us. And Natsu…"

Natsu glared sullenly at Makarov, who continued. "You destroyed seven private homes in bringing down the Devon Bandit Clan! Tuly Village's historic clock tower is no more! Freesia's church is a wreck, and so too is part of Lupinus Castle and the observation deck at Nazuna Ravine! And that's without going into what happened at Hargeon! Alzack, Levy, Krov, Reedus, Warren, Bisca, and so on…all of you have done little but piss the Council off and have them complain to me!" Then, after a pause for dramatic effect, Makarov set the papers in his hand, presumably the complaints, on fire, before hurling them at Natsu, who promptly ate them.

"The Council can eat shit and die, for all I care!" Makarov snapped. "You listen here! Magic may be a power that goes beyond the bounds of reason, but it's still born from reason's womb itself. It's no miracle. Magic is born from the union between our internal energy, and that of the world itself. We pour our very hearts, minds and souls into that magic. And you can't advance your magic if you spent time worry about what some self-important idiots in an ivory tower thought! Follow the path you truly believe in to the end! THAT'S what it means to be a wizard of Fairy Tail!"

There was thunderous applause at that, and Lucy thought that, while she couldn't exactly abide the flippant attitude to collateral damage, she could get behind the sentiment involved. Maybe she had made the right choice after all…

* * *

Given the paperwork to join the guild, Lucy had an excuse to wander around until she came to Loke. He wasn't with any girls at the moment, just lounging around. "Hey, so it's the new girl. Nice magic skills you've got there," he said with a welcoming smile. "Need me to help you out with the paperwork?"

"Actually, I need your help with something else. Or rather, I have something I need to tell you. Something very vitally important to you."

Loke seemed like he was about to flirt with her, until he saw her face. He then looked down at her Gate Keys, and flinched. "You know, don't you?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure I do. You're Leo, aren't you? And before you ask, I may be a Celestial Wizard, but I'm not out to make a contract with you. I know how the last one turned out, thanks to Aries," Lucy said.

"How could you possibly know that?" Loke asked in anger. "I don't see Aries' Gate Key there."

"The same reason I know you're a Celestial Spirit. I'm one myself." As he gaped at her, she added, quietly, "Well, something like a Celestial Spirit."

Loke peered at her, trying to discern the truth of what she claimed, before nodding. "I should have known. You do feel a bit like one…if you had a human body rather than a spiritual one. But…different, somehow."

"It's a long story. The short version is, well, I know this is a bit hard to believe, but I'm a reincarnation of someone from another world. A world where magical beings called Espers could be summoned forth to do battle like the Celestial Spirits. My father was one, but my mother was human. Something happened, something that tore me in two. My Esper half ended up passing through the Celestial Spirit World. And then, my soul was reborn into this body. The magic you saw me use on the others is magic from that world. I don't think Earthland has this."

Loke, after a moment, nodded. "It certainly felt very different."

"It is. Many Celestial Mages rely on their Celestial Spirits for attack and defence, but I'm a considerably well-rounded mage. Not as physical as some of these guys seem to be, but I'm pretty good. Anyway, I grew up speaking to the Celestial Spirits my mother left me, and eventually, I discovered that I could pass into the Celestial Spirit World."

"But no human can do that!" Loke protested.

"My soul isn't human, it's Esper," Lucy said. "What's more, I can talk to any Celestial Spirit I wish, as long as they aren't currently in this realm. I don't know where Virgo is at the moment, though someone told me she might be in the service of Duke Everlue. And I can even summon them, as long as they aren't currently summoned by someone else. That's how I knew about Karen. I spoke to Aries about it."

Loke stared at her. "You know about Karen?"

"Enough to know that she did you and Aries great wrongs. If I ever find the mage using Aries' Gate Key, I'm taking it for myself. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and neither do you. I've managed to persuade the Celestial Spirit King to rescind your exile. I know you probably won't believe me, but…"

"I'd believe Aries if she could tell me herself. Later…can you summon her so she can confirm it?"

"Yes, if she's not being used. I'm not going to demand that you work with me as a Celestial Spirit, Loke. That's up to you. I just thought I'd let you know."

After a moment, Loke nodded. "I appreciate it. Sorry, it's just that I've had bad experiences with Celestial Mages. But…is your story true? I mean, it's pretty unbelievable."

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? But…it still happened. You don't have to believe me on that part. I think my mother was the only person I told, apart from my Celestial Spirits, and, well, she believed me, but I don't think anyone else would."

"Well, I hope, even if we don't make a contract, that we're good guildmates, Lucy," Loke said with a welcoming smile, a far cry from his earlier lecherous one.

"Anyone I should look out for? I mean, Natsu's pretty hotheaded. So's that Gray guy. What's his magic?"

"Ice Make. That thing with the clothes was due to the training his teacher put him through. And you've seen Makarov use Giant magic. The Strausses are experts at Take Over magic, though Mirajane doesn't really do missions anymore. It's not my story to tell. And there's a couple not here at the moment that you'd have to watch out for. Makarov's grandson, Laxus, who's a pretty arrogant snot, though he can back up his arrogance, and Erza Scarlet. She's stern and strict, and pretty much the disciplinarian of this Guild, not to mention a master of Requip magic."

"I see…"

* * *

Soon, under Loke's guidance (he seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt), she filled in the paperwork and gave it to Mirajane, who stamped the Fairy Tail emblem on her hand. Lucy smiled, peering at it. She was now officially a member of Fairy Tail.

Mirajane, as Lucy admired the new emblem, asked, "Now that I come to think of it, Lucy, what was that magic you used earlier?"

"Something I picked up. It's useful."

"I daresay it is," Makarov remarked, from where he was perched on the bar. "And Happy told me that you had a considerable rapport with your Celestial Spirit, Aquarius. Reputedly, she is somewhat…fractious with her summoners at times."

"We have an understanding. At the moment, she's going on vacation with her boyfriend Scorpio, so I'd better not get in the way unless it's an emergency," Lucy said with a shrug. "The truth is, I try not to treat them as tools. I had enough of that from my father."

"Jude Heartfilia?" Makarov asked, peering at her. "You've parted ways with him, then?"

"He's an idiot who considers his business more valuable than his daughter…though I overheard him considering plans to marry me off. I'd rather work for a living away from him than deal with that anymore. Though frankly, he's just cold and emotionally neglectful. He's not bad, just uncaring about my thoughts. Ever since my mother died, he sees the world in assets and liabilities. That being said, if he decides he wants me dragged back to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he hires another guild to do it. I know he's on speaking terms with Jose Porla."

"The Master of Phantom Lord," Mirajane mused.

Lucy nodded. "He's hired Phantom Lord to deal with threats to his business, including breaking strikes and scouring bandits who threatened the railways. He might think I was ignorant of that, but I see and hear a lot more than he thought. It's one of the reasons I chose to join Fairy Tail, actually. You guys are rivals with Phantom Lord, who'd hand me back over without a second thought. Plus, I don't like the look of Porla. Whereas you guys, despite the chaos you cause, you seem to do things right. Just wish Natsu didn't demolish all those buildings."

Makarov chuckled. "I like to think of it as keeping the building industry busy." He then looked up as a small, dark-haired boy with a miserable expression approached. "…Romeo? I know what you want to ask, and no, Macao isn't back yet. Watched kettles never boil, and a wizard's child should stay at home awaiting his father's safe return."

"But he said he'd be back in three days," Romeo sniffed. "It's now been a week…"

Lucy noticed that Natsu, who had been checking a job flyer at the nearby job board, was paying attention. "I believe Macao found work at Hakobe Mountain…" Makarov began, only for Romeo to interrupt.

"Then send someone after him! It's not that far away, and I'm worried!" Romeo protested.

"Have some more faith in your father, boy!" Makarov snapped. "This is a guild for strong wizards, not for crybabies! Go home now!"

Romeo, with a scream of anger, leapt up and smashed Makarov in the face, and scampered out in anger and fear. "Yeesh," Lucy remarked. "A bit harsh?"

"Actually, he's worried as well," Mirajane said.

"Of course I am," Makarov said, rubbing his face. "It's certainly not like Macao to be gone this long. He took a job dealing with Vulcans, I think."

There was a sudden crunch from the job board, and they saw that Natsu had punched the job flyer he'd been looking at into the board, forcing it into a crack he made. He then strode out. "Oh dear," Mirajane said. "I think Natsu is about to try and rescue Macao."

"Should we stop him?" Lucy asked.

"No. Natsu's like Romeo himself," Mirajane said. "Did he tell you about Igneel?"

"Only that he taught him Dragon Slayer magic," Lucy said.

"Well, it's more than that," Makarov said. "Igneel raised Natsu from a very young age. He educated him on writing, culture, and magic."

"Not social graces, though," Lucy remarked. "But we're talking an actual dragon, right? But didn't they disappear centuries ago? I mean, aside from Acnologia?"

Makarov nodded solemnly. "I still believe Natsu was raised by Igneel. There are too many points in his story that ring true. In any case, Igneel suddenly disappeared one day, and Natsu was left alone."

"And he's been searching for his father ever since," Mirajane finished. "We may be a happy bunch, Lucy, but all of Fairy Tail is living under a cloud to some degree or another, with painful pasts."

Lucy sighed quietly. Like it had been back home. Natsu put her in mind a little of Gau, the feral boy of the Veldt, abandoned by his father. And the rest of her friends from that time often had troubles. Locke was trying to revive his lover. Celes was betrayed by the very Empire she served, as was Leo, even if he didn't join the Returners in earnest. Cyan lost his family and the kingdom he guarded. Setzer gambled and adventured to forget his own lost love. And Terra…the girl she once was…she was born in a gilded cage, forced to kill for the Gestahl Empire at the orders of Kefka…

And that was before the end of the world, triggered by that insane clown.

Lucy decided that she would follow Natsu. Partly to prove herself to Fairy Tail, but also to ensure that this boy had some closure, one way or another…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Lucy's joined Fairy Tail, and is about to venture with Natsu to save Macao.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	10. Hollow Heroes Chapter 1

**When I publish my 100th story, I wanted to make it a special one. I wanted to do it as a Potterverse crossover with either** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **(in honour of my first fanfic published here,** ** _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_** **), or the** ** _Final Fantasy_** **webcomic** ** _8-Bit Theater_** **(which is still on the cards, by the way). But then, inspiration struck. I am yet to really do a** ** _Kingdom Hearts_** **fic in any way, so it was about time I did so. Hopefully, this will get enough chapters written so I can publish it as my 100th story.**

 **This is actually not my first attempt at a Potterverse/** ** _Kingdom Hearts_** **story, but my first attempt didn't make it beyond the first chapter, and by the time I considered doing it, sakurademonalchemist came out with** ** _Memories of Nobody_** **. Plus, there's trying to do something moderately novel. Eventually, I decided, what the hell, and wrote this up. The original story had Harry, Hermione, the Weasley Twins, Luna, and a couple of others shoved through the Veil, becoming Nobodies and ending up eventually working with DiZ. That...didn't go too well. This story focuses more on Harry doing impossible things because, well, he's Harry Potter. Which means that a few of your favourite Nobodies don't suffer the same fate they did in canon.**

 **Plus, this story is Harry/Yuffie. That was the pairing I intended for my** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **crossover, before I decided I had done that too many times before. Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm posting it here, well, _Kingdom Hearts_ IS practically an actionized _Final Fantasy_ game with Disney elements...  
**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

 _ **HOLLOW HEROES**_

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 **THE NOBODY WHO LIVED**

 _He remembered the battle mostly within his nightmares now. Of spells whizzing past him, of his friends being attacked. Of his godfather being hit by a curse from his godfather's deranged cousin, stumbling towards an archway. He managed to break free from the werewolf's grasp, and save his godfather…but at the cost of falling through the archway, through the Veil, himself._

 _The last thing he remembered of that time with any great clarity was the screams of his allies, screaming out his name, and the high cackling of the deranged witch. Then, a great pain in his chest, like something being torn out. It left an icy cold in its wake._

 _Then, oblivion._

 _He woke up standing on a mysterious stained glass image, showing himself, his friends and enemies, a mysterious, deep voice guiding him through a new life. Then, as if from a dream, he woke up…_

* * *

 _"Oh, he's waking up!" The voice of a woman, not much older than he was._

 _"Be careful, Aerith. Merlin says he's a Nobody, like those creeps the King warned us about." The gruff voice of an older, middle-aged man._

 _"Even if he wasn't a Nobody, he's an interloper here." A younger man's voice, somewhat cold and clinical._

 _"And he practically fell out of the sky onto me!" This was a girl about his age._

 _"Which means we need to be cautious, if nothing else," the younger man was saying, as the teenager opened his eyes, and saw who was speaking, a brown-haired young man with a handsome, if rather stoic, features, a scar running across his face. He seemed to be in some sort of house, with magical paraphernalia on one side, and on the other, what looked like a massive computer terminal. So, not Hogwarts or the Ministry…though his memories of those were admittedly a little hazy._

 _"Leon, he isn't even wearing a dark hoodie like the Organization does," the older girl, who had brown hair, gentle and demure features, and stunning green eyes, so much like his own, pointed out, though the teenager was a bit baffled as to what she meant._

 _"That means little," the scarred young man called Leon said._

 _"Excuse me, but isn't it rude to talk about someone while they're right here?" the teenager asked, rubbing his head, and wondering why his scar felt so sore, like it was bruised. "Anyway, who are you guys, and where am I?"_

 _The quartet looked at each other, before finally, Leon shrugged. "I am Leon. This is Aerith Gainsborough, that is Cid Highwind, and that is Yuffie Kisaragi." Leon indicated the brown-haired young woman, the older man, and then the girl about his age, who had short dark hair, and Asiatic-looking features, on which a cocky-looking smirk was plastered, respectively. "We comprise most of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee."_

 _"Hollow Bastion? Where is that? Britain? America? You sound American," the teenager said._

 _After a moment, Cid pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn. Well, we know one thing. He's definitely not from this world. Merlin's yammered on about how he helped teach and advise the King of Britain."_

 _The teenager frowned. "Wait, Merlin? But Merlin died years ago! I mean…"_

 _"Rumours of my death, my dear boy, have been greatly exaggerated," came an ancient voice, and someone who looked too much like Dumbledore, albeit in far less eye-gouging robes, walked in. Long white beard, sky blue robes, dotty and eccentric-looking…yeah, too much of a resemblance for his liking. "Still, I have to say, it's rare that someone from Lost Avalon(1) ends up in another world, given that the Keyhole there should be firmly shut." He moved close, and peered into the teenager's eyes. "Though I do keep an eye on events there. Dear oh dear, this is troublesome. I know who you are…and you have my sympathies for being roped into becoming their saviour."_

 _"You know this guy, Merlin?" Yuffie asked._

 _"Indeed I do. His name is…"_

* * *

"…M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E(2)!"

"Please stop that," the diminutive, big-eared figure in the dark hooded coat next to him said with a wince in his falsetto voice as they walked through the main railway station of Twilight Town. "Leaving aside the fact that I'm meant to be incognito, that song has gotten annoying the more times you sing it."

"Hey, in the unlikely event that I ever meet anyone from home, who would believe that I have trolled Mickey Mouse himself, huh? Anyway, blame Walt Disney for the Mouseketeers. Seriously, Merlin's explanation as to how Disney came to be…if I hear terms like 'recursive memetic resonance' and 'the Universal Egregore' once more, I will shave his beard off. Again."

"I once tried doing that to Master Yen Sid," Mickey Mouse remarked wistfully, before chuckling. "It did not end well."

"I'm sure it didn't. Still, at least Yen Sid and Merlin aren't as stubborn about Nobodies as DiZ was," the green-eyed teenager remarked, before adopting as deep a voice as he could, mocking with a bitter tone. " _Nobodies do not have a right to know, nor do they have a right to_ _ **be**_ _._ " Scoffing quietly, he muttered, "Wanker. Ansem the Wise my arse."

"Mind your language," Mickey chided gently. "But you are right…my old friend has fallen far, thanks to the betrayal of Xehanort and his apprentices. If he had stayed around after you rescued the others, I would be having words with him."

"So would I," said a third member of their party, a boy with light brown, spiky hair, and deep blue eyes. A scowl marred his features.

"We all have our issues with DiZ," a blonde-haired, rather waif-like girl said. "Well, save for Xion."

The fifth member of their party, a dark-haired girl, looked down ruefully at her own clothes. "I'm not sure how I even exist anymore. Not that I'm complaining."

"Don't ask me, Xion," the green-eyed teen said. "I'm sure Hermione would know…" Then, his face fell. "If she's still even…"

"Your friend will still be alive," Mickey said, with a gentle tone that was nonetheless filled with utter conviction, and the green-eyed teen was reminded of why Mickey Mouse, contrary to what he usually was in the cartoons Disney pumped out, was both a leader and a warrior. "All your friends will be."

That was a pretty empty platitude, but the green-eyed teenager liked Mickey Mouse more than the other mentor figures he had in his life, so he didn't comment on it, any further than a disgruntled huff. At least Mickey Mouse cared. And he wouldn't ask his subordinates to do something he wouldn't do himself, like get his hands dirty, even if it was mostly towards Heartless and Nobodies.

"In any case," Mickey said, "we need to send Sora, Donald, and Goofy to Master Yen Sid's tower via the special train. With them just awoken…"

"I'm glad it's finally over," the blonde girl said quietly. "My debt to Sora is now paid."

"Organization XIII took advantage of you, Naminé," Mickey declared. "You desired a connection to others, and they exploited that. What you did was wrong, but that you recognise it and attempt to redeem yourself for it goes a long way."

"I know, it's just…" Naminé's eyes widened. "Nobodies, a swarm of them outside the station! And Sora and the others are being attacked!"

"Right. Xion, look after Naminé!" the green-eyed teenager barked. Then, he, along with the brown-haired boy and Mickey, sped out of the station…

* * *

Sora grimaced as exhaustion took its toll. These weird things in silver bodysuits (or were they the actual bodies of the creatures?) were dancing around him, Donald, and Goofy, moving in weird, unpredictable ways, their humanoid bodies warping and stretching in an unnatural manner. There were so many of them, he and his friends were being overwhelmed.

It was partly being asleep for a whole year that did it, he reckoned. He didn't know why, or how he ended up in that weird pod underneath the abandoned mansion. A mansion on the outskirts of a place called Twilight Town. And it was weird, the sense of déjà vu he had felt on emerging, to find that he had grown, that his voice was breaking. And the only clue was a mysterious note Jiminy Cricket couldn't remember writing in his journal: _Thank Naminé_.

The King had been spotted, searching for Sora, though Pence and Olette, the two kids their age they had met (a third, Hayner, had gone off in a sullen huff, for them intruding on their 'secret spot'), had told them that four others accompanied the King. None matched the descriptions of Riku. One seemed to sound a bit like Kairi, but why would she be accompanying King Mickey?

As the creatures closed in, Sora raised his Keyblade, ready to defend himself against the inevitable onslaught, only for a trio of figures to burst out of the train station they were fighting in, all dressed in dark, hooded cloaks. One was short, diminutive, with the distinctive large round ears Sora had glimpsed what felt like a fresh memory, and yet also felt like an eternity ago. The other two were…odd.

One of them seemed vaguely familiar, with the light brown hair and the deep blue eyes, fighting determinedly, using two Keyblades, of all things! One light, the other dark. The other had a messy thatch of black hair with a white streak through it, emerald eyes flashing behind glasses, a year or so older than Sora. A faded scar snaked its way from beneath his fringe, like a lightning bolt. He raised his Keyblade and snarled, "REDUCTO!" A jet of light smashed into one of the creatures, and punched a hole through it, causing it to dissipate. The Keyblade was red and gold in colour, with a feather-shaped part protruding from the blade.

Between the three newcomers, they decimated the remaining creatures fairly quickly. "The Organization is moving fast," the dark-haired teenager remarked, as he cast healing magic at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, handing the belligerent duck mage an Ether to replenish his MP. "They sent these Dusks and Creepers to attack them, hoping to catch them off-guard while they were still recovering from their little nap. What do you reckon, Roxas?"

"They're testing Sora," the brown-haired boy said. "If they really wanted him dead that badly, they'd send higher-level Nobodies. Or send one of the Organization proper."

"We're running out of time," King Mickey said, before he looked over to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Guys, I know you're pleased to see me, and you have a lot of questions, but time's of the essence. You've gotta board the train and leave town. It knows the way. These two will help you, as will the girls." He then chucked a pouch to Sora, who caught it.

"Hey, isn't that…?!" the brown-haired boy yelped.

"Yeah, that's the one the emo nicked off you, Roxas," the dark-haired boy said. "Mickey, you've got my number. Call if something goes wrong."

Mickey nodded, and then said to the others, "See ya!" He then hurried away.

"But Your Majesty…!" Donald complained in his raspy voice.

"Hey, he's doing some stuff of his own," the dark-haired teenager said. "Official King Mickey business. Look, there's a lot to take in, I understand that. But we're on the clock. The train is taking you to the tower of Yen Sid, but we'll be briefing you along the way. It's a very long story, even abridged. And for what it's worth, Sora, you have my sympathies. I know what it's like to be dropped in the deep end, left to sink or swim."

Sora, after a moment, looked at Donald and Goofy. "Can we trust these guys?" he asked.

"Well, the King was with 'em," Goofy mused. "And Master Yen Sid was the tutor of the King."

"Yeah, but those outfits look suspicious," Donald grumbled.

"Not surprising," the dark-haired teen remarked. "Leaving aside the colour scheme, there really are some rather nasty guys going around wearing these coats. They're a bit of a necessary evil when you're in realms of darkness for a while. And if you had all your memories, well, let's just say you'd find it harder to trust us. You haven't actually met Roxas and I before, though you've met one of our number, Naminé. Not that you'd remember her."

"Naminé?" Sora asked. "Jiminy said there was a message in his journal to thank Naminé."

"Yeah. It's a long story, like I said, and we don't have much time. Our other party member is Xion. Xion, Roxas, and Naminé all have a connection to you, Sora."

"And what about you?" Donald asked querulously. "Who are you?"

"I was…well, I am a wizard from another world. What's left of him, anyway. I doubt you've been to my world. Merlin called it Lost Avalon. And I doubt you know my name. Unlike most Nobodies, I'm not doing the whole 'anagram plus an X' thing they seem to be doing. I think that's what Yuffie calls a ' _chunibyou_ ' phase, really(3). My name's Harry Potter. And it's good to meet you three at long last…"

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry's a Nobody, and for some reason, Roxas, Xion and Naminé are accompanying him. So, what does this mean for the Boy Who Lived?**

 **1\. This is what sakurademonalchemist called the Potterverse in her story** ** _Memories of Nobody_** **.**

 **2\. Harry is, of course, singing the Mickey Mouse Club March. To troll Mickey Mouse.**

 **3\. A** ** _chunibyou_** **(well, properly transliterated to** ** _chuunibyou_** **) is basically, well, an overly dramatic adolescent phase, or something like it (as it can be said to affect adults). Basically, being pretentious and dark, thinking one is cool.**


	11. Hollow Heroes Chapter 2

**I'm gratified at the response this has gotten. It'll be a while before it's published (assuming it gets that far), but it's looking pretty good.**

 **Anyway, before we get onto the next chapter, I'd like to say that I've posted a new poll on my profile. Once more, it's one trying to see which franchise people would like to see me do a fic for next, either pure or crossover. While the winner won't necessarily be the one that gets it, it'll help me determine which franchises are more popular. It's also worth pointing out that there's nearly 40 options to vote for, and you can vote up to four times. So...go nuts. But vote on the profile, and don't bother telling me what you voted for in reviews, okay?**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **HOLLOW HEROES**_

 **CHAPTER 2:**

 **TWO DIFFERENT CHOSEN ONES**

Sora stared at Harry, who was sitting across from him as they travelled on the train out of Twilight Town. "Let me get this straight. You guys are all what they call Nobodies, beings without a Heart, but you're on our side, and three of you can wield Keyblades. Some Nobodies, part of this Organization XIII, trapped me in a castle, tampered with my memories with Naminé's help, and when they were defeated, Naminé wanted to restore our memories back to the way they were."

Harry nodded. "That's about the size of it."

"You made the choice to discard your memories of what happened in Castle Oblivion, to retain your old memories," Naminé said quietly.

"And you're a Nobody of Kairi?" Sora asked. And then he pointed to Roxas and Xion. "And you're my Nobodies?"

Roxas nodded wearily. "It's a very long and complicated story. I wouldn't even be here as my own person if it weren't for Harry. Same for Xion. We'll probably have to go our separate ways after we return to Hollow Bastion. Organization XIII will be trying to eliminate both of us. I'm a traitor to them, and Xion outlived her usefulness."

"Gawrsh, it's very tricky. And I didn't even think that the Ansem we met had stolen the name of the real Ansem!" Goofy remarked.

"The real Ansem is only our ally insomuch as he wants to see the Organization taken down," Harry said. "But he wants to destroy all Nobodies. Guilt by association, mixed in with revulsion at our very existence. He doesn't even want to believe that we can regain our Hearts, after a fashion. It took a while for the guys at Hollow Bastion to get used to me, never mind Yen Sid, but DiZ, he's so rabidly anti-Nobody…he wanted Naminé dead once her use was ended."

"And Riku?" Sora asked.

"He's against Organization XIII, not Nobodies," Harry said. "He's still alive, but he's working with the King behind the scenes. He made Mickey promise to not tell you what happened to him. Let's just say he looks different. Very different. He was in Castle Oblivion at the same time as you, apparently, and things went wrong. Anyway, Roxas, while he knows the identities of the members of Organization XIII, doesn't know what their plans are."

"About that, how did Roxas survive when his memories were grafted back onto Sora?" Donald asked.

"I don't know, exactly," Harry said, summoning his Keyblade to his hand. "But my Keyblade, Phoenix Rebirth, might have had something to do with it. All I know is, Roxas and Xion, for now at least, effectively count as familiars to me, my magic is keeping them in existence, a bit like the summon magic of these worlds. So does Naminé, but she doesn't need as strong an anchor to keep her in existence. Just enough so that, once we see Kairi, she doesn't merge with her. Anyway, I'm not complaining about a best case scenario happening. Or at least close enough."

"Are you gonna be helpin' us on our journey?" Goofy asked.

"Not directly. Once we're back at Hollow Bastion and I've left Naminé in the care of Leon and the others, Roxas, Xion and I are going to take the fight to Organization XIII. While going into the World that Never Was will be risky, there are other places affected by the Organization. Your task is to concentrate on the Heartless incursions, while we're dealing with whatever Organization XIII is cooking up, as well as investigating the labs Ansem the Wise used, seeing if there's any useful data he left behind, or his impostor. We'll probably encounter each other a few times, though."

Roxas nodded. "Our first port of call is to the Beast's Castle. I know Xaldin had plans involving the Beast."

Sora shook his head. "This is a lot to take in. And you said you were famous on your own world? What was that like?"

"Like shit," Harry said bluntly. "Imagine only learning you're famous at the age of eleven, and having people turn on you just as much as they'd want to praise you. And having no parents. I mean, I'd go back if I can, but…only long enough to stop Voldemort…"

* * *

Not long afterwards, they ended up at Yen Sid's tower. To their shock, one of Maleficent's minions, Pete, was there. They disposed of the Heartless Pete summoned, and then, entered the tower, going up.

They eventually reached the top of the tower, and found themselves in the presence of Yen Sid. Harry remembered this wizened old wizard as being the one from _The Sorcerer's Apprentice_ segment of _Fantasia_. Yen Sid had taken time to warm up to Harry, what with Harry being a Nobody, but he came round in time.

After briefing Sora, Donald, and Goofy on what Harry and the others hadn't covered, he sent them through to another room, to get new clothes. Harry knew that the fairy godmothers from _Sleeping Beauty_ were there. He then turned his attention to Harry. "What am I to do with you?" he remarked. "You go to Twilight Town to find out what this DiZ is up to, only to come back with three more Nobodies, including two ex-members of Organization XIII."

"DiZ was going to force the erasure of Roxas, and ordered Naminé's execution," Harry said. "Xion coming back into existence was a happy accident. I'm not sure what happened, only that my Keyblade and my magic were involved."

Yen Sid nodded sagely, even as they heard the fairies bickering in the other room. "As I discussed with you before, I have heard rumours that each of the members of Organization XIII have an attribute, an element if you will, attached to them. With Roxas here, I can tell his element is Light. Yours, Harry, appears to be Life/Death, symbolised by the Phoenix Rebirth Keyblade, the one that formed from your former wand. You have given life to these Nobodies beyond when their time was due to pass. Not quite resurrection, but rather, a sustainment. Still, the fact remains that Organization XIII will be tracking down Roxas to eliminate him, and I doubt that Xion or Naminé are free from danger."

"I've agreed to stay at Hollow Bastion once we reach there," Naminé said. "My abilities in combat are close to nothing. My power is through changing the links of memories."

"It's still a potent power, especially if not confined to Sora," Yen Sid said. "Roxas, Xion, are you willing to face your former allies?"

"They're no allies of mine," Roxas said grimly. "I'd try to get Axel to our side, and maybe Demyx, but everyone else, well…"

Naminé nodded. "Of the thirteen members, five of them are dead: Number 4, Vexen, Number 5, Lexaeus, Number 6, Zexion, Number 11, Marluxia, and Number 12, Larxene. That means there are seven left, not counting Roxas. Or Xion."

"And you do not know of the Organization's main plan?" Yen Sid asked Roxas.

"Only that it involves Sora, the Keyblade, and Kingdom Hearts," Roxas said. "I was pretty low on the pecking order in Organization XIII."

"Indeed." Yen Sid smiled sadly. "Did my former student ever tell you you resembled someone I've met?"

"Yes, he said something about me looking like someone called Ventus," Roxas said.

"Indeed. Ventus was the ward and student of Master Eraqus, one of the finest Keyblade Masters to ever live, even if he was somewhat quixotic, and obsessed with darkness needing to be eradicated. It is true that the darkness is harmful, but to completely eliminate darkness is to eliminate the light as well. Ventus…lost his Heart after a gruelling battle. Eraqus himself perished not long beforehand, and his students have all disappeared too."

"Mickey said he met Aqua while travelling through the Realms of Darkness," Harry said. "She saved him and Riku from a bunch of ornery Heartless."

"Then that is some good news, at least," Yen Sid said. "I feared the worst when Aqua disappeared..."

* * *

Not long afterwards, Sora emerged. Harry had to admit, his new outfit was pretty snazzy, even if it had way too many belts and buckles. Then again, that seemed to be the norm in this universe he had ended up in.

Yen Sid gestured them over, and pointed out the window. The distinctive colourful blocky shape of a Gummi Ship rose up nearby. He then explained how Sora, Donald and Goofy would be able to travel between worlds.

"Hang on a moment," Goofy mused, tapping the side of his head. "The Gummi Ship held the three of us no problem. But what about Harry, Roxas, Naminé, and Xion?"

"Nobodies can utilise Corridors of Darkness with ease," Harry said. "Well, with relative ease. Mickey and Riku know how to use them, but they're dangerous. Nobodies have less of a problem usually, but we wear these coats to protect us from the worst effects of the darkness within these corridors."

"And Naminé?" Sora asked.

"I'll be fine," Naminé said with a smile. "I'm only making the one trip with them…"

* * *

The trip through the Corridor of Darkness was, thankfully, uneventful, though Harry, Roxas, and Xion made sure they kept Naminé between the three of them. Harry had passed through the Corridors of Darkness enough times to know that Heartless and Nobodies had a tendency to attack. And that was without going into the corrosive nature of the darkness within these domains.

Harry had travelled these realms more than a few times. It had become, rather disturbingly, second-nature to him. Then again, becoming a Nobody meant he was caught between the darkness and the light. A twilight existence where he was a hollow man, stuffed with straw. Ironic that a Heartless was actually a Heart, consumed by darkness and malevolence, while a Nobody had a body, but no Heart.

It was even more of a surprise when his emotions seemed to come back to him…and naturally, at that. It felt less like he was imitating emotions, and more like he was expressing them again.

Of course, with that came the guilt. It had been several months since he fell through the Veil, and Merlin had been unable to witness more than fragments of events back home (this had been a problem since a number of his magical items had been stolen by Heartless years ago). Merlin had no idea of how the war against Voldemort was going, and they had no idea how Harry could get back. The Keyhole for Lost Avalon had been locked long ago, with Heartless incursions rare on that world. But it meant he had no way of knowing what had happened to the Weasleys, Hermione, Luna, Sirius and Remus, Tonks, Neville and his other friends and allies. The last time he saw Ron, he was being molested by those weird brain things, and Hermione had gone down with a curse to her torso.

It had taken the cavalry long enough to get there. Snape must have taken his sweet time. But the anger he felt towards Snape and Umbridge (and Dumbledore, for that matter, for being at his most ineffectual that year) was almost matched by Harry's own guilt and self-reproach. He should have realised that it was a trap, one he had waltzed right into.

Still, there had been plenty who helped him work through the pain and misery as he regained his memories. The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee were his key helpers in that regard. Well, Cid was a bit gruff, and Leon, whose real name was apparently Squall, was a bit hands-off, even if he was genuinely compassionate. And there was the somewhat sparing sympathy of Cloud Strife, an acquaintance of theirs who was something of a loner, obsessed with his own inner darkness. Merlin and Aerith helped counsel Harry more, Merlin drawing on his experience of counselling people like King Arthur, while Aerith just had a generally kind nature.

Probably one of his biggest helps, though, was Yuffie. After a rocky beginning, the two developed a friendship of sorts, initially based around mutual snark, but eventually growing into something more. Yuffie reminded him a little of Ginny, albeit without the fangirl tendencies. She had the same spunk and fire, though she also liked to refer to herself as 'the Great Ninja Yuffie'. Then, a couple of months ago, they started dating, going out for dinner, walking around Hollow Bastion, and killing Heartless that decided to play gooseberry.

Still, it was interesting having a ninja as a girlfriend. And they had admitted recently that they actually were boyfriend and girlfriend. Aerith had been ecstatic, while Leon and Cid had taken Harry aside and threatened him with a shallow grave if he ever hurt Yuffie. Leon effectively was her adoptive big brother, and Cid her adoptive father, when they all fled Hollow Bastion for Traverse Town years ago.

As he exited the Corridor of Darkness, Harry found Cid typing at his computer terminal, while Aerith and Leon looked on. "Hey," Harry called out. "Where's Yuffie?"

"She's out on patrol. There's increased Heartless activity throughout the town. It's been setting off the automated defence systems," Leon said, looking over to them, and noting the new arrivals. "Care to explain these three?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Long story. Short version? Sora's awake. And Roxas and Xion are basically his Nobodies. Naminé is Kairi's. It's a very long story, but Mickey and Yen Sid have vouched for them. Roxas and Xion are defectors from Organization XIII. Anyway, Sora, Donald and Goofy should be here soon by Gummi Ship. Any luck on accessing Ansem's lab?"

"Workin' on it," Cid said. "Ansem was pretty paranoid, locking everything up. Even a Keyblade can't unlock it, and that's pretty impressive. And annoying. It'll take a week longer. Maybe less if we're lucky."

"I ran into the real Ansem, not that impostor Sora defeated," Harry said. "He's fallen pretty far."

"Sounds like quite the story," Leon said. "I'll want to hear it later."

"What actually happened to Ansem?" Aerith asked.

"He hates Nobodies," Roxas said with a shrug. "Even if they don't want anything to do with Organization XIII."

"Anyway, we were going to leave Naminé here for safekeeping, and then head out to try and find out more about the activities of Organization XIII," Harry said. Then, a smirk touched his lips. "And trolling them. I nearly got caught the last time I was in the World that Never Was, but it was worth it."

"…Wait…were you the one who knocked out Saïx, glued werewolf prosthetics to his face, and left…some sort of medicine by his bedside?"

Xion snickered. "It was medicine for relieving _period pain_ , Roxas."

Aerith looked at Harry, raising an eyebrow, and looking torn between laughing and being put off. Aerith, for all her demure nature, had an impish streak a mile wide. "Rather crude of you, Harry, even by your standards."

"Hey, that idiot pissed me off by harassing me, trying to conscript me into Organization XIII while I was trying to have a date with Yuffie on the beach near Twilight Town," Harry said. "I told him to put that damned war hammer where the sun didn't shine, and he took issue with that." His smirk widened into a vicious grin. "Say what you like about the spells of my world, with the mangled Latin, but he wasn't expecting a quick Apparition and a Stunner. I used a Memory Charm or two as well, to make him forget about coming after me, given how he threatened Yuffie. I wish I used more, so he forgot other things. Like his toilet training."

"And what you did to DiZ?" Naminé asked, a wry smirk touching her own features.

"Hey, he sounded like Christopher Lee, he deserves looking like some ripoff of Dracula," Harry snarked(1). "And to have bowel troubles for the next couple of weeks. Given that he tried to kill you and Roxas, and seemed to consider doing so to me, despite my being Mickey's ally, it's more than he deserved. I only went easy on him to teach him a lesson, and because he was once Mickey's friend. Next time, I'm dragging him through that Corridor of Darkness Cloud showed me to Olympus Colosseum, and having him do the Phil Workout Special(2). And THAT'S if I'm feeling merciful. Speaking of which, Hades is well overdue for having another bucket of ice water poured over that burning scalp of his."

"Didn't you say your school motto translates to 'never tickle a sleeping dragon'?" Leon asked.

"I've never been one to take good advice," Harry remarked.

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Harry and the others have filled in Sora, Donald and Goofy, and are back in Hollow Bastion.**

 **1\. Considering that the late, great Christopher Lee did voice DiZ in** ** _Kingdom Hearts II_** **and** ** _358/2 Days_** **, I thought I'd make a reference to that.**

 **2\. Something Aqua and Xion/Tania did to many students, especially Ron Weasley, in sakurademonalchemist's** ** _Memories of Nobody_** **.**


End file.
